CLA: some room for hope in Defra Electronic Tagging announcement

Along with other farming organisations, the CLA is aghast that the EU seems determined to press ahead with the introduction of electronic identification (EID) of sheep and goats from December 31 2009. However, there is still hope that common sense may prevail.

Angus Collingwood-Cameron, CLA North East Director, said: "My contacts within the tagging industry tell me that this measure will cost the UK sheep industry £70-80m to implement and £30m per annum thereafter to administer. The industry is not in a position to absorb such a cost and it cannot be passed onto the consumer. To put it into perspective, the 2007 Foot and Mouth outbreak was thought to have cost the industry £100m. There is no justification for the introduction of compulsory EID. There is no benefit to the consumer or the industry. Sheep farmers face being put out of business by unnecessary regulation."

"However, only two months ago, Defra seemed hell bent on introducing EID on 1st January 2009. Due to intense lobbying by ourselves and others in the industry, it now sees the economic problems that this regulation could cause and we have gained a delay. Furthermore, a short while ago, the UK sheep industry stood alone in opposition.

"Due to lobbying in Brussels and via the European Landowners Organisation, we have gained support from Germany, Slovakia and Ireland, who have all called for further economic impact analysis to be done prior to introduction. It must be hoped that further opposition can be generated as the economic and practical implications of this proposal become more apparent, with the objective of confining compulsory EID to the dustbin of history."