30/03/2011

The NFU has met with delegates from the EU Food and Veterinary Office (FVO) to raise concerns over the implementation of the electronic tagging (EID) rules for sheep. 

Delegates are in the UK for a fact-finding tour on how the UK has implemented the rules since its introduction last year. This was an opportunity for both NFU Cymru’s President Ed Bailey and NFU chief livestock adviser John Mercer to tackle a number of issues farmers are facing by complying with the regulation.

Mr Mercer said: “There seemed to be a genuine willingness on behalf of the inspectors to listen to the concerns of the industry and we are hopeful that the following two weeks will highlight how UK farmers are trying their best to comply with the legislation.

“We emphasised the need for tolerance when it comes to tag reading for all movements of sheep. We stressed that it was essential that the commission realises that it is impossible to achieve 100 per cent reads 100 per cent of the time, due to a number of factors and working conditions found on farms, markets and abattoirs, and as such formal recognition needs to be given to this.

“Farmers are also rightly concerned about the potential financial implications of read failures and the impact any subsequent SFP penalty would have on their business and income.

“The other main issue raised was the reporting and recording of the historic flock. As of next year farmers will have to individually record the older animals that were identified pre-2010 and therefore do not contain EID tags. However, the NFU has asked for this requirement to be put back or postponed in order for these older animals to filter out of the system and ease the pressure on producers.”

Mr Mercer and Mr Bailey also discussed with delegates ways in which present regulations could be more suited to the conditions of the UK in order to limit the regulatory burden posed by the rules. The NFU firmly believes there are a number of areas which would make its implementation less demanding while maintaining the core principles of traceability and the NFU took the opportunity to raise these with the inspectors.

“We look forward to meeting with the FVO later in the trip and to their report and working with the European Commission to make this regulation more fit for purpose,” added Mr Mercer.