NFUS AND NSA TAKE TO THE ROAD ON SHEEP TAGGING

NFU Scotland and the National Sheep Association’s Scottish Region are to take to the road in August and September, hosting nine meetings across the country to explain the EU proposals on sheep movements and electronic identification with the nation’s sheep farmers.

European Regulation 21/2004, due to come into force from the end of this year, will make it obligatory for all Scottish sheep keepers to electronically tag sheep born after this date and keep a record of each animal’s individual identity every time they move. NFUS and NSA Scotland believe the new rules will bring no real benefit and the proposals are soundly opposed by the whole Scottish sheep sector.

Pressure to change the proposals has started to bring rewards and a number of concessions to the proposed regulations were secured recently.

With the joint lobbying effort in Brussels continuing, NFUS and NSA Scotland have agreed that the time is right to meet with Scottish sheep producers to discuss the concessions achieved to date and to confirm the direction that they want discussions to take in the coming months.

NFU Scotland Vice-President Nigel Miller said:

“There has been a lot said and done about changing Europe’s damaging proposals on sheep movements and electronic tagging and the time is right to go out to producers on how things stand. With the autumn sheep sales just around the corner, it is worth reminding producers that this year's lamb crop is unaffected by the regulation, and that only sheep born after 1 January 2010 run the risk of getting caught up in an unnecessary sea of cost and bureaucracy.

“The purpose of these meetings is to explain to farmers where we have got to in our negotiations and how, as things stand, the regulation would affect lamb crops born next year and beyond.

George Milne, Development Officer for the NSA in Scotland said:

“Amendments to the regulation agreed to date will make the implementation of new regulations on sheep movements and EID slightly easier on sheep farmers, but stops short of overcoming the real issues of on farm management and recording of breeding sheep.

“Both organisations have put tremendous time, effort and resource into lobbying against the proposals. I would urge all Scottish sheep producers to make the effort to come along to one of these meetings. It will give them an appreciation of where we have got to in our attempts to change this damaging regulation, and it will give NFUS and NSA Scotland an appreciation of where farmers want us to focus our efforts in the coming weeks and months.”