"The European Commission needs to wake up to the devastating impact sheep EID and individual recording would have on the whole European sheep industry and allow its implementation on a voluntary basis," said Ed Bailey, NFU Cymru Vice President today.
Speaking after appearing as part of a UK and Ireland industry delegation at the European Parliament’s agriculture committee on Monday to discuss concerns about sheep EID and individual recording, Ed Bailey said the industry needed to be driven by the market and not regulation and technology.
Ed Bailey said, "At the moment regulation and technology are driving the industry not the market. It will cost in the region of 12 Euros per head to implement this scheme. In the UK we have got 33.1 million sheep which makes it a huge amount of money that the industry cannot afford. The whole European sheep industry is in decline so to force this extra cost on it at this time is just ridiculous.
"Our current ID and batch recording systems, together with movement standstills, are a simple, efficient and cost-effective measure to help control the spread of disease.
"Some member states are talking about co-funding to finance EID and individual recording.
I’m not sure where this money will come from in the current economic climate but if it comes from modulated money that completely defeats the purpose. The Commission needs to wake up to the devastating impact that compulsory EID and individual recording is going to have on the whole European sheep industry."
Ed Bailey said the industry’s concerns had received a sympathetic hearing and support from the UK MEPs in the committee.
