NFU Cymru is surprised and disappointed that the Deputy Minister for Agriculture, Alun Davies, has today announced to the Welsh sheep industry that he will not allow any level of tolerance when it comes to reading Sheep EID tags.
Whilst the European commission has continued to take a very restrictive and unhelpful attitude to the issue of tolerance there was the possibility of some limited level of tolerance that could be operated within Wales to the benefit of the industry.
NFU Cymru President Ed Bailey said, “Whilst we accept that the tolerance the Welsh Government could implement in Wales was limited it did at least give some flexibility and acknowledgement that it is not possible to read EID tags with 100% accuracy, 100% of the time. Numerous trials in Wales and beyond have confirmed that this is the case and now our farmers could face significant cross compliance penalties for an issue that realistically they cannot control.”
The Deputy Minister has made his decision on the basis that analysis of 2011 inspection results show that no Welsh farmers would have qualified for the limited tolerance available.
Replying to this statement, Mr Bailey said, “Successful lobbying by NFU Cymru has delayed the date at which the full impact of individual recording of sheep will be implemented in Wales but as each year goes by a greater proportion of the Welsh flock will be subject to the full impact of the regulation and therefore be more likely to benefit from tolerance at inspection visits.
“As a Union we have consistently lobbied for changes to the regulation to try to reduce its impact on our sheep industry and over time we have achieved a number of successes that have helped to reduce the burden on our farmers. We feel there is much more that we can achieve. Particularly given that MEPs continue to lobby for further changes, we are disappointed that today’s decision appears to us to be the Welsh Government effectively closing the door on achieving any further successes.”
In response to the Deputy Minister’s intention to establish a Sheep EID database for Wales, NFU Cymru is asking for clarity on what exactly a database will deliver for Wales, what it will cost and who pays. Ed Bailey said, “We have numerous unanswered questions as to how a database would benefit sheep farmers. We need a clear commitment that a database will not add any cost to statutory recording requirements; it must handle the range of tagging options currently available and it would have to cope with IT / Broadband issues in Wales. I struggle to understand how it could work without an acceptance of tolerance and I am concerned as to how regulatory bodies would use the information on the database at inspection visits.
“Despite today’s setback NFU Cymru will continue to lobby for further flexibilities to this unnecessary regulation. I will be meeting fellow officeholders from the other UK NFUs and the IFA next week to agree a campaign of further lobbying out in Brussels.”
No comments have been made.