Welcome for EU move to improve electronic sheep tagging

In A move welcomed by Scottish sheep farmers, a pilot project aimed at improving the performance of electronic equipment used in identifying sheep will get European funding.

National Sheep Association chairman Jimmy Sinclair said he was pleased the problems with the technology had eventually been recognised.

“We in Scotland have raised the fact that in some situations either due to tags or readers it is impossible to read every tag,” he said.

He thanked Alyn Smith MEP for his efforts in gaining support from other members of the EU agricultural committee for the pilot project.

Smith added that the Commission accepted the principle that farmers should not have to pay penalties for breaches of cross compliance outwith their control.

He added: “I hope that this pilot project will provide some funds and resources to kick-start a full Commission initiative to launch a full research effort into this.”

l The latest leaked document on the future of the Common Agricultural Policy has suggested that farmers might have to take up to 7 per cent of their agricultural land out of production as part of the “greening of the CAP” before they receive full subsidy payments.

Recently appointed NFU Scotland chief executive Scott Walker, after qualifying his response by stating the leaked document had no official status, attacked this proposal.

“Talk of 5 per cent setaside has been upped to 7 per cent of farmed land in order to meet the definition to secure full payments. If that is the case, then it has serious implications for food production.”

Walker said it was important that the many environmental schemes and all the positive land management that has already been put in place on Scottish farms could count towards whatever commitment of land to environment schemes is eventually required.

Also responding to the leaked document, George Lyon, one of Scotland’s MEPs stated bluntly that requiring EU agriculture to set-aside 7 per cent of the agricultural land made no sense at a time where food security and rising food prices were major concerns.

“The Commission should go back to the drawing board and bring forward proposals that will deliver a more sustainable and more competitive farming industry,” he said.