The North East NFU is reminding sheep farmers across the region that new Electronic Identification (EID) rules apply to all sheep born or identified after 31 December 2009.
As a result, it is not possible to use up stocks of existing slaughter tags from previous years on lambs going to slaughter in 2010.
The reason, says NFU senior food and farming adviser, Louise White, is that old tags are printed with individual identification numbers.
“If used, these numbers would have to be listed in a farmer’s flock book and each movement would have to be recorded in the movement book,” she said. “In contrast the new slaughter tags, either electronic or plastic, are printed with just the flock number so that the sheep concerned can be ‘batch’ recorded.
“There are several options available to sheep keepers when it comes to choosing which tags to use and it’s important to talk to buyers, markets and abattoirs to ensure the most appropriate ones are selected.
“The NFU and industry at large fought long and hard against the introduction of EID and the resulting complexity and expense. We understand farmers’ frustration with the new regulation but now it has been implemented our aim is to help farmers get to grips with what they have to do as quickly and painlessly as possible.”
NFU members can find out more about EID rules by logging onto www.nfuonline.com or by contacting NFU Callfirst on 0870 845 8458 and asking for the EID business guide.
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