D-Day is on the horizon as sheep tag vote nears

The best of Scottish sheep being paraded around the judging rings at the Highland Show yesterday were blissfully unaware of the political battle going on over their future.

But NFU Scotland president Nigel Miller was in no doubt about the seriousness of the latest demands from Brussels where some European politicians want to track the movements of every individual sheep in the country

"We could be facing a crisis in ten days time," he warned, with decisions on the controversial 100 per cent traceability plans due to be taken by the end of the month.

Speaking at the Highland Show, he hoped that the electronic system set up at a cost of 5 million by the Scottish Government and which has operated on the electronic identification of sheep at either markets or at abattoirs since the beginning of January this year would provide sufficient traceability even although it only operates with approximately 95 per cent accuracy.

But when questioned how optimistic he was on the outcome of the European decision, Miller admitted it was "50-50" .

During his visit to the show, cabinet secretary Richard Lochhead indicated that the Scottish Government would be supplying Brussels with information supportive of the "Scottish solution" in the next few days.

He believed that the system currently working providing more than sufficient levels of traceability added to the fact that it had "on several occasions" been welcomed by the Commission.

"We have gone to great lengths to provide a system that gives as much traceability as we can and yet recognises the Scottish circumstances," he said.

After going over to Europe last week to fight the case, he said the Health Commissioner, John Dalli, who is pushing for the 100 per cent identification of sheep, had accepted the principle that Scottish sheep keepers should not be penalised through their single farm payments for minor errors in numbers.

Lochhead welcomed this view: "This should allow us to achieve the benefits of traceability without the threat of disproportionate penalties."

Before hurrying back to Parliament to take part in the announcement on the future of the Food Standards Agency in Scotland, Lochhead also revealed that the panel looking at the possible separation of FSA responsibility would also consider the thorny issue of meat inspection charges.

Chaired by former chief vet Jim Scudamore, it will investigate the feasibility of setting up an independent meat inspection service in Scotland.

Alan Craig, of the Scottish Association of Meat Wholesalers, which has been at the forefront in complaining about the unnecessarily high level of inspection charges, welcomed the move.

"We have lobbied long and hard for such a review, arguing that Food Standards Agency in general and meat inspection in particular, needs to be at the top of the government's agenda for action."

Craig said the review should not compromise food safety and could even enhance it.