WALES-Electronic tagging is "unworkable" say North Wales farmers
OPPOSITION to the introduction of electronic tagging has hardened in recent days after a series of meetings across Wales.
A grassroots rebellion against the "unworkable" EC regulation has been stepped up amid fears Wales’ traditional sheep production system will collapse.
Some 25 farmers linked up with three auctioneers and three sheep buyers to voice their concerns to Aberconwy AM Gareth Jones and Colwyn Bay mayor Phil Edwards at Ty’n Llwyfan Farm, Llanfairfechan.
And EC officials were told in no uncertain terms what will happen if electronic identification (EID) is introduced next January when they met producers in Wales last week.
At Ty’n Llwyfan Gareth Wyn Jones, secretary of Aber and Llanfairfechan Graziers, re-affirmed a commitment to boycott the regulation.
"We represent 100 producers who own some 130,000-plus sheep and they are up in arms," he said.
"Until the EC comes up with a workable, affordable system, we will not be tagging our sheep."
The meeting heard from Huw Jones, Gwern Farm, Penygroes, who is one of 14 Welsh farmers trialling EID technology for Hybu Cig Cymru.
He told the politicians 200 out of 1,200 ewes lost their EID tags last year. Moreover, attempts to capture EID data resulted in a 40% failure rate.
Morgan Evans auctioneer Simon Jones said the Gaerwen mart had been in regular touch with the Livestock Auctioneers Association (LAA) to express its concerns.
He said current EID systems were simply not up to the job and would create market logjams. EID reading errors in markets would create log-jams and the process of individually recording animal numbers could result in sales "lasting all week".
"And all this extra time and expense will obviously have to be passed by to the farmers" he said.
Aberconwy AM Gareth Jones said the technology was inadequate, the system unworkable and the costs excessive.
If EID can’t be abandoned, it should be modified and phased in to make it workable, said Cllr Phil Edwards.
He added: "If the Assembly Government had been solely responsible for the decision, then it would not be introduced in Wales next year."
Last week’s UK tour by EC officials took them to Mid Wales, where they visited the Randall Parker Foods abattoir in Llanidloes. There the delegation watched the company’s £20,000 EID scanner correctly identify 198 lamb carcasses out of a batch of 200.
According to plant manager Phil Shuker, the scanner’s accuracy usually ranges from 65% to 99%. Variable factors, such as earthing mean 100% accuracy is unobtainable..
Later the EC party moved to Llandovery auction market, talking to auctioneers and farmers. Among them was Derek Morgan, chairman of the FUW’s hill farming committee who has been trialling EID on his own farm at Llangurig, north Powys, for six years.
He stressed the difficulties in implementing the technology in Wales where flocks were large and there were a large number of movements from hill to lowland.
"Even the slightest hitch with the technology could bring a livestock market or abattoir to a standstill," he said.
Despite this, the EC officials appeared unmoved. NFU Cymru’s vice president Ed Bailey, said the EC delegation’s attitude had caused immense frustration with their hosts.
"They seemed reluctant and unable to grasp the enormity of the impact this regulation will have on sheep farmers," said NFU president Ed Bailey.
The National Sheep Association, which led the visit, said political intervention was now likely to be the industry’s only hope.
NSA chief executive Peter Morris called on sheep farmers to become "very vocal" and lobby their MPs and AMs.
Last week a motion was passed at the Senedd declaring the Assembly’s opposition to EID.
However a Conservative amendment, calling for a unilateral delay to EID, was rejected after rural affairs minister Elin Jones said Wales - and ultimately farmers – would pay heavily for non-compliance.
But Clwyd West Tory MP David Jones said many farmers and auction markets would find it "almost impossible" to comply.
He has written to Defra demanding an EID opt-out for the UK – something the EC has already rejected after the UK failed three tagging inspections by EC vets.
Mr Jones added: "This directive is turning into a nightmare for Welsh farmers. If implemented, many of them may decide to go out of livestock farming altogether."
