Marts well prepared for EID test
"Fitting a single electronic slaughter tag on store lambs ticks all the boxes for ease of movement after they have been sold, says Jeremy Eaton, an auctioneer at Craven Cattle Marts Ltd in Skipton, Yorkshire. "It will make it easier for everybody."
Mr Eaton, who is a member of the Livestock Auctioneers Association (LAA), was speaking as the UK sheep sector faced up to its first major EID challenge at the autumn sales this year.
LAA chairman Alastair Sneddon, who is managing partner for Bagshaws at Bakewell Market and has been selling stock in the Peak District for the past 30 years, pointed out that livestock auction markets were all doing their best to ensure that the new legislation worked properly and helped rather than hindered trade during the coming sales season.
"We know that there has been a lot of controversy over this new EU Directive, but it is here now and the LAA believes that if we all work hard together we can ensure it has a positive effect, rather than a detrimental one, on the industry.
"Auction marts throughout the UK have already devoted a great deal of time and effort, as well as money, into making the EID system as easy as possible for producers to live with - and to ensure that it does not disrupt the important autumn sales programme."
Skipton Mart has invested more than £20,000 in new hi-tech equipment and software, as well as staff training to prepare for the new EID system and has had several different methods of reading tags on trial for several months at the mart to develop a simple easy-to-understand system for vendors and purchasers.
"We finally decided to buy two auto race readers and several stick readers to ensure we are able to catch every sheep that comes up for sale. We have also employed and trained people to help us on market days," says Mr Eaton, who warns producers that sheep that do not have EID tags are likely to be sold at discount prices because of the extra time it will take to read the tags manually.
"It’s taken a lot of preparation, with a significant investment to make it easier for producers and buyers, but we believe we now are all set to go," says Mr Eaton, who expects the Skipton Mart to sell about 120,000 store lambs, prime sheep and ewe lambs before the end of October.
He urged all sheep producers who were not quite sure what to do to ask their local markets for advice before taking their sheep in to sell.
