Sheep farmers fear tagging threat

8 June 2000



Sheep farmers fear tagging threat

by FWi staff

THE European lamb market, which takes 40% of UK produce, could be threatened by Scotlands failure to release sheep tagging proposals, say farmers.

John Thorley, chief executive of National Sheep Association, said the deadline for submitting these proposals to government is June 12.

England and Wales documents have been in consultation now for a couple of months. But the Scottish Executive has yet to release a consultation document.

Speaking at North Sheep 2000, Alnwick, Mr Thorley said that if Scotlands proposals differed from Englands it could cause difficulty satisfying Brussels.

There could be consequences in terms of lost trade and the government could also be forced to pay a fine if the tagging system is not in place by September.

It is important to have EU backing for lamb trade. Otherwise the French, Britains biggest market for lamb, could create havoc.

The Scottish Executive insisted it would meet the same implementation date for legislation as England and Wales, ensuring Scotland was not disadvantaged.

A spokesman for the Scottish Executive said it hoped to make an announcement on the matter within the next couple of weeks.

“We are aware that the consultation documents in England and Wales and the industry in Scotland will be consulted before legislation is laid.