NFU Cymru urges Assembly not to gold plate sheep ID rules

NFU Cymru has urged the Welsh Assembly Government to adopt a minimalist approach when it comes to implementing the new Sheep ID regulations from 12 January 2008 and insists they should not gold plate them in any way.

Ed Bailey, NFU Cymru Vice President said, "It is imperative that at a time when the sheep sector is going through a period of almost unprecedented hardship that the identification and traceability system does not add further cost and bureaucracy to the sheep and goat sectors. NFU Cymru has consistently lobbied for a system which can be understood and managed on farm and that keeps regulatory burden to the minimum required by the EU Regulation."

NFU Cymru has written to the Welsh Assembly Government in response to the consultation on the implementation in Wales of double tagging of sheep and goats. In its response the Union supports the need to keep the information required within the movement document to the minimum required by regulation 21/2004 and has requested that the document asks for the total number of animals moved within the consignment but does not require keepers to record the flock/herd mark for every animal moved.

The Union has also supported the proposal for keepers to be allowed to maintain movement documents as a record of off movements instead of keeping a record in the flock book.

NFU Cymru fully supports the principle that the slaughter derogation must apply to all animals intended for slaughter in the UK before the age of 12 months. This derogation allows for only one tag to be applied to animals intended for slaughter before the age of 12 months. This must apply to animals sold both direct to slaughter and via livestock markets; any other options proposed would seriously harm the viability of the livestock auction market system.

Ed Bailey concluded, "We have continually made the Welsh Assembly Government aware of the complexities and confusion surrounding the identification and traceability of sheep and goats, not just within the farming community but also within and between the various enforcement bodies involved in sheep and goat legislation. This is why NFU Cymru has lobbied extensively for the Welsh Assembly Government to adopt a system that complies with EU regulation 21/2004 and no more."