Praise for sheep tagging compliance rate

Scottish sheep farmers were praised yesterday for their efforts in meeting identification targets last year, with the Scottish Government announcing that of the 650 flocks inspected, just 64 received any form of cross-compliance penalty.

Further details at an industry meeting revealed that only five flocks breached the required electronic identification (EID) read rates and all of them had also breached other elements of the sheep tagging and recording requirements. None was penalised solely for failing to comply with read rates.

Rural affairs secretary Richard Lochhead admitted the bureaucracy surrounding sheep EID was still an issue but added that the government had worked hard to minimise the impact of the rules and help farmers avoid penalties.

George Milne, development officer for the National Sheep Association in Scotland, said farmers had made a good effort. In many situations where problems arose, it was a result of minor errors which led to frustration, he said.