Farron Calls On EU to Help With Costs of Tagging

11.32.47am GMT Tue 15th Jul 2008

Local MP and Chairman of the All Party Parliamentary Group on Hill Farming, Tim Farron has welcomed calls for the European Union to help British farmers with the costs for electronic tagging for sheep.

The news arrives after the European Parliament adopted a report urging the European Commission to rethink its plans for compulsory tagging to be introduced by 31 December 2009, after it was revealed that the system would bring new administrative burdens and high costs.

The report acknowledged that electronic tagging would improve traceability, flock management and measures against fraud; but argued for a community financing scheme to be introduced throughout the European Union.

Commenting Mr Farron said;

"Electronic identification for sheep will be expensive and highly ineffective, especially in the uplands. It's unfair to expect British farmers to have to cough up the cash to implement it.

"This initiative will not benefit farmers and should be resisted. However, I'm encouraged that the European Parliament has asked the European Commission to give our farmers funding to alleviate the costs of the scheme. It would be better still if the UK were exempt from this scheme".