Representatives from the NFU have met with Defra officials this week to discuss the potential impact of changes to livestock movement rules in the wake of the government’s Macdonald Red Tape Review.

The union representatives claimed some of Defra’s proposals may have deeper impacts of farmers’ businesses.

The NFU livestock board also discussed Defra’s proposal to remove the non-electronic batch tag from use in slaughter lambs; the union believes the change could cost farmers who currently use the tag around 55p extra per lamb to upgrade to an electronic slaughter tag.

Charles Sercombe, NFU livestock board chair said, “The removal of the non-electronic tag for slaughter lambs will also come as a further cost to industry. The NFU has always been clear that the tag choice should be driven by the market and the demands of the buyer rather than by regulation, but we will examine every solution to minimise the cost on farming businesses. This meeting comes on the back of a high-level EU meeting earlier this week in Brussels where we again made the case for tolerance on sheep EID.”

He continued, “Even at current prices, it’s clear that margins remain tight in the industry and there are many issues still to address, not least the impacts on our businesses of the TB eradication programme and CAP reform.

The NFU livestock board members said they would continue to build relationships with stakeholders throughout the supply chain in order to ensure the industry remains strong and that producers receive the best possible returns. To this end the board will release a report on the beef industry at the Livestock Event being held at the NEC in September.

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