MUNSTER FARMER: Resistance to electronic sheep tagging
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IFA President Pádraig Walshe and National Sheep Committee Chairman Henry Burns told the members of the Dáil Agricultural Committee this week that Compulsory Electronic sheep tagging will inflict serious economic and unnecessary damage on the Irish sheep sector.
Making a presentation to the Committee under the Chairmanship of Johnny Brady TD, the IFA President said Compulsory Electronic sheep tagging will not work or be used in practice in Ireland.
He said the implementation being followed by the Department of Agriculture on sheep EID will inflict serious damage on the important sheep industry.
Pádraig Walshe said Ireland already has a very good individually based sheep tagging and identification system and imposing Compulsory EID would do nothing other than inflict more costs on a sector that cannot afford it.
Mr Walshe called on the Minister for Agriculture Brendan Smith to go back to Brussels and insist on a voluntary option for Ireland on the basis of the sound and effective tagging system already in operation.
IFA National sheep Committee Chairman Henry Burns said Compulsory EID would inflict untold damage on the lamb trade as it will be impossible for store lamb buyers to operate.
He said IFA has already explained to the Department of Agriculture that EID will seriously damage the mart trade and particularly breeding sheep sales.
Henry Burns said the real implication and practical farmer problems with EID are not properly understood and are being ignored.
Henry Burns said sheep farmers cannot understand why the Department of Agriculture are so anxious to push ahead with a damaging implementation plan when the Minister for Agriculture Brendan Smith has consistently outlined his total opposition to Compulsory EID.
The IFA sheep farmers' leader said with EID tags costing between €2 and €2.50 per sheep, it was the equivalent as charging cattle farmers €30 to tag their animals. He said this was totally unacceptable to sheep farmers and could not be allowed happen.
- Ted Creedon
