MEPS call for voluntary sheep EID

UK MEPs met in Brussels yesterday (Tuesday) to launch a written declaration calling on the Commission to make EID and individual recording of sheep voluntary and not compulsory. The NFU's BAB office attended the press conference which saw the declaration signed by Alyn Smith (Scotland), Neil Parish (England), Jim Nicholson (Northern Ireland), Jill Evans (Wales) and Mairhead McGuiness (Ireland). Members are now being encouraged to lobby their MEPs not only to sign up to the written declaration but, more importantly, get them to talk to colleagues in other countries to sign up as well. Within Europe, EID and individual recording of sheep is seen as a UK and Irish problem.

In the European Parliament a written declaration needs to be signed by a majority of members within three months in order to be recorded in the official minutes as the Parliament's position and communicated to other relevant EU institutions. NFU livestock board chairman, Alistair Mackintosh, will be representing the UK at conference in Limoges, France later this week. The conference has been organised by the French Farm Minister and current President of the EU Agriculture Council, Michael Barnier, to discuss the future of the sheep sector. Alistair will use this conference to highlight to other member states our total opposition to compulsory EID and Individual recording of Sheep from 1st January 2010.