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Concerns Over EU Sheep Tagging Plans
Wednesday, 28th January 2009
From 2010, all sheep born in the EU will have to be electronically tagged to help prevent the spread of disease, according to plans set out by the Commission. The tags come at a cost of 1.50 each which is only slightly less than the market value of the animal.
With the additional cost of the electronic reader that farmers will also be required to purchase, many UK farmers, whose livestock make up one third of the EU sheep population, may go out of business.
Conservatives believe the argument that the tags will improve the health of the livestock is completely unfounded and the plans offer little benefit in comparison to the unrealistic cost that would be incurred by farmers.
Research suggests there may be a point in the future where the electronic tagging of sheep is viable, but Mr Kirkhope and Conservative colleagues believe it is clear that the technology is not sufficiently advanced to make it cost effective for the farmers.
Mr Kirkhope said:
"The system that is currently in place in the UK works well and farmers are extremely concerned by the extra costs that they would be burdened with under the plans.
"Farmers from across the EU, such as those in my constituency Yorkshire and the Humber, are uniting to demand a rethink of these plans."
ENDS
