Defra has confirmed plans to use a fixed cut-off date to age lambs instead of checking teeth in a move that could potentially save the industry £24 million.
The cut-off date of 30 June means farmers, market operators and abattoir owners will no longer have the burden of checking the teeth of sheep to determine whether it is over 12 months old.
The method of checking teeth for permanent incisor eruption has in the past been criticised for being "costly and inaccurate" by the sheep industry.
Instead, using a cut-off date will indicate whether the carcass needs to be split to remove the spinal cord, which is required by the regulation.
EU regulation requires the removal of Specified Risk Material (SRM) from the carcases of sheep slaughtered for human consumption.
SRM is defined as those tissues which might potentially harbour detectable Transmissible Spongiform Encephalopathy (TSE), and which cannot be passed for human food.
'Unnecessarily devalue'
The NFU and the National Sheep Association, including other industry organisations, have long been urging Government to implement a simpler and more accurate system of ageing lambs.
NFU livestock board chairman, Richard Findlay said: “We welcome the news of a cut-off date as it will mean no mouthing of sheep and no splitting of carcasses – which can unnecessarily devalue carcasses by as much as 40% – before the 30 June.
“This change will enable the industry to cease dentition checks entirely, providing a far more precise way to age lambs at the time of slaughter and potentially adding millions of pounds of value to the industry.”
The NFU has campaigned over the years and has recently worked with the National Sheep Association to provide evidence to the government supporting a June cut-off date.
Industry assessments calculated that the system of teeth checking was costing the UK sheep industry in excess of £24 million a year, the main costs coming from mouthing sheep to check for tooth eruption, and a loss of carcass value when teeth had erupted.
'Major step forward'
The National Sheep Association called the news a "major step forward" that follows four years of intensive data gathering and positioning by farming bodies.
NSA Chief Executive, Phil Stocker said: “It’s an example of what can be achieved to benefit the industry by organisations working together, and an example too of what can be done through constructive and supportive working between industry and regulators.
“We estimate that checking for tooth eruption has cost the UK sheep industry some £24 million a year in time and reduced value. It’s an imprecise method that has led to uncertainty and has made it difficult for finishers to plan buying and feeding regimes.”
The NSA said it will continue to work with Defra on issues, such as this, that affect the sheep industry.
