Efforts to ease EID burden continue
NFU Cymru is using Brecon show to highlight the Union’s continued efforts to minimise the burden on Welsh sheep farmers of compulsory EID (Electronic Identification) and individual movement recording.
Gwyn Price, a livestock farmer from Llanbadarn Fynydd and NFU Cymru Brecon & Radnor County Chairman said, "NFU Cymru has always believed that the EID regulation should be reviewed at the earliest opportunity. We successfully lobbied for a number of flexibilities to ease the burden on producers and we continue to lobby in Cardiff, Westminster and Brussels for further changes to minimise the impact on sheep farmers. We are particularly concerned about the risk that farmers could lose out on single farm payments from failing to fully comply with a regulation that is clearly not fit for purpose."
Defra Farming Minister, Jim Paice, has invited John Dalli, European Commissioner for Health and Consumer safety, to visit the UK this autumn to see what is happening on the ground. NFU Cymru has urged Elin Jones, Minister for Rural Affairs, to ensure that Mr Dalli visits and meets with Welsh farmers as part of his fact finding mission.
Speaking at Brecon show Mr Price said, "We hope that Mr Dalli will take on board our very real and genuine concerns over the unnecessary burden this regulation places upon our industry in particular the individual recording requirements that the regulation imposes on the industry and which we believe adds nothing to current disease control measures. We are pleased that the Commissioner has accepted the invitation to visit the UK and see first-hand the practical problems the new EID regulation is causing."
NFU Cymru is also advising farmers that the regulation requires that all breeding and store lambs kept beyond 12 months of age must adhere to the full EID requirements - that is they must have one electronic identifier and one visual identifier.
Gwyn Price said, "As a result of NFU Cymru lobbying we have been fortunate to secure the use of batch tags for lambs intended for slaughter under 12 months of age, this has significantly helped to minimise the cost and also recording requirements for a great many farmers. With autumn breeding and store sales fast approaching many farmers will now be considering ordering EID tags for the first time I would urge farmers to ensure that they order in good time to ensure that tag suppliers are able to meet demand in a managed way.
"NFU Cymru is also keen to remind farmers that it is illegal to tag 2010 slaughter lambs with last year’s slaughter tags, the old slaughter tags were individually numbered and the decision to remove the individual number from slaughter tags was taken (across GB) to reduce the record keeping burden and provides the minimum requirements of Council Regulation 21/2004 (annex A.7)."
