Landowners tell Brussels EID plans 'should be scrapped'

Published on Wednesday 27 August 2008 18:48

PROPOSALS from Brussels that all sheep in the UK should be subject to individual electronic identification (EID) have been roundly condemned by all the major farming organisations as totally unworkable.

That argument gained further credence yesterday from a joint statement by the Scottish Rural Property and Business Association (SRBPA) and the Country Landowners Association (CLA), which operates in England.

Brussels is demanding that every sheep in the UK should have something akin to a passport, to be checked on any movement. Scottish farmers have long contended that this is impossible, given the extensive nature of the sector on the hills and glens. Movements are currently recorded on a batch basis.

Luke Borwick, the chairman of the SRPBA, said: "This regulation will damage an industry which is already on its knees, without delivering any obvious welfare or efficiency gains.

"Moreover, since the regulation will only be enforced in nations with a national flock of over 600,000 sheep, I fail to see how this will improve traceability across the whole EU. We need a sensible approach, and this is not the answer."

Henry Aubrey-Fletcher, the president of the CLA, said: "Farmers are consistently faced with new legislation that is sapping their already low incomes and in many instances preventing them from doing their jobs.

"Our joint recommendation is that Brussels should scrap the proposals altogether, or if it is considered vital to public health, to fund the scheme in its entirety."