NFU meets minister on sheep EID

NFU livestock board chairman Charles Sercombe and chief livestock adviser Peter Garbutt have expressed concerns over plans to remove all access to the non-electronic batch tag for lambs.

Following a consultation in the autumn, the government has announced that from 2015, lambs under 12 months old will have to be electronically tagged, which many said will add a significant cost to farm businesses.

The NFU said the move will result in an increased tag cost for the vast majority of livestock producers and reduce their flexibility to choose the most appropriate tag for their market.

Sercombe said: “It was positive that the minister understood our concerns over the increased tagging costs and was keen to work with us to help farmers deal with failures in the system. We also urged him to implement a level of tolerance under cross compliance."

Other issues being discussed at yesterday’s meeting included the six-day standstill rule, spinal cord removal in lambs, and market transparency. Mr Sercombe added: “We are calling for more clarity on the way carcasses are dressed and weighed which would enable more accurate price reporting."