NFU Scotland is prepared
to accept the introduction of electronic tagging for sheep as the
price to pay to avoid the immediate imposition of double tagging by
the
European Commission.
The move follows a damning report by
EU veterinary officials
who identified "significant deficiencies" in the UK's traceability
system for sheep during an inspection of farms, auction marts and
abattoirs in February.
"Elements of the traceability systems in place in the markets
and slaughterhouses visited were non-compliant and had not been
detected by the authorities," the official report of the European
Commission's
health and
consumer protection directorate states.
The report has alarmed sheep farmers who fear a costly and
unworkable system of double tagging and individual movement
recording will be imposed on the industry when the current
derogation from these regulations ends on 30 June.
The derogation allows UK farmers to record the movement of sheep
in batches as they leave the farm rather than recording individual
sheep movements.
Resist
"We are determined to resist double tagging and the paper chase
which that would involve," said NFUS livestock committee member,
Bruce Walker. "An electronic identification system - when a system
which is 100% reliable is developed - could easily be bolted on to
the existing batch recording system and would ensure the level of
traceability which the EU requires without imposing a costly
bureaucratic burden of individual identification on farmers."
Mr Walker said individual identification might work in the rest
of Europe where small flocks are common, but would be impossible to
implement in Scotland where average flock size is 300-400 ewes,
with many flocks of more than 1000 ewes.
He was speaking following a meeting of the NFUS's north-east
regional livestock committee which fully endorsed the move towards
electronic identification.
The policy has now been accepted by the union's national
livestock committee and will be the subject of discussions this
week with
SEERAD
officials prior to an all-industry stakeholders meeting in London
next Tuesday (15 May).
"The livestock committee is crystal clear that double tagging is
simply not an option for the sheep industry, hence the vital
importance of securing an extension to the current derogation,"
said NFUS vice-president Nigel Miller.