Thursday, 16th April 2009
Electronic sheep tagging will halve national flock says Euro MP Struan Stevenson
Britain's flock of 30 million sheep will be halved under an EU ruling to introduce electronic tagging, says Scots Conservative Euro MP Struan Stevenson.
And up to four out of ten sheep farmers could be driven out of business because the cost to the industry of tracking every animal in the UK will be nearly £65 million.
Mr Stevenson said UK farmers would be hardest hit leading to lamb being imported from outside Europe.
The legislation will be introduced on January 1 next year in a bid to improve disease control following the UK foot and mouth outbreak in 2001.
Mr Stevenson strongly criticised a newly-released European Commission factsheet issued in an attempt to deflect the fury of hard-pressed farmers.
He said that the EU's admission that sheep are not normally handled individually exposed the "lunacy" of the policy.
"To insist that sheep which are permanently on the hill should be electronically tagged is ludicrous", said Mr Stevenson.
He criticised proposals to exempt EU states with a national flock of less than 600,000.
"Surely their sheep are just as liable to spread diseases as any other member state's sheep", he said.
Mr Stevenson said farmers could expect no financial support from the UK Government despite EU suggestions that some member states may help to fund tagging.
He concluded: "The UK has a failsafe batch system of sheep identification already in place which has been tried and tested during the most recent foot and mouth outbreak and found to be first class.
"There is absolutely no need for electronic tagging."
