Welsh agriculture faces Pound17.5 million EID bill

Ceredigion’s Welsh Liberal Democrat MP Mark Williams has today expressed his concern after new figures showed the scale of the cost of implementing electronic identification for sheep.

The analysis, carried out by the EU’s Joint Research Centre, found that implementing EID in the UK by 2011 would cost a total of £65 million, with 92% being carried by farmers, 5% incurred by markets and collection centres and the rest falling on abattoirs.

Wales has around 27% of the total UK flock so could expect to face a cost of around £17.5 million.

Commenting, Mark Williams said:

"This extra cost is likely to prove extremely problematic for all sheep farmers, and I have no doubt that many will be considering whether they can carry on.

"This also highlights the significant costs to other rural businesses such as marts and abattoirs that will face additional costs.

"The UK Government and Welsh Assembly Government have lobbied for EID not to be forced on the UK, and they must continue to fight for any possible further concessions.

"However with the true cost to the industry being put forward, they must also consider what assistance they are able to provide to reduce the costs for farmers and other agricultural businesses."