Union expresses its strong opposition to EID to rural affairs

NFU Cymru leaders will reiterate their strong opposition to the Electronic Identification (EID) and individual recording of sheep when they meet with the Rural Affairs Minister, Elin Jones, tomorrow.

Ed Bailey, Vice President of NFU Cymru, has relentlessly opposed the introduction of EID and the individual recording of sheep and has represented NFU Cymru at meetings in Cardiff, London and Brussels on the subject. He said, "Flockmasters throughout Wales are horrified at the prospect of having to cope with EID which would serve no purpose, would do nothing to improve sheep identification and which would impose a huge burden of additional cost on a sector that is already struggling.

"I hope that I will be able to persuade the Minister for Rural Affairs, Elin Jones, to extend an urgent invitation to the EU Commissioner for Health, Androulla Vassiliou, to come to Wales and see at first hand the folly of the EC"e;s decision to make the implementation of EID and individual recording mandatory from 1 January 2010. This is another example of Brussels bureaucrats having pie in the sky ideas without any understanding of the practical realities of commercial sheep farming.

Mr Bailey concluded, "This can not be allowed to proceed unchallenged. We firmly believe that our current ID and batch recording system is a simple, efficient and cost effective measure which helps control the spread of animal disease."