IFA Attends Department Meeting on Sheep Identification and Tagging

Speaking following a meeting with the Department of Agriculture and representatives from the lamb factories and marts on sheep identification, tagging and EID, IFA National Sheep Chairman John Lynskey said the EU regulation on sheep identification clearly provides that animals intended for slaughter under 12 months of age may be identified by an ear tag applied to one ear and there are no proposals to change this regulation.

John Lynskey said incomes on sheep farms are extremely low and it is essential that costs and bureaucracy are kept to a minimum.

He said anybody advocating EID for lambs is proposing additional costs on sheep farmers, which they cannot afford. “It is very easy for somebody else to propose the imposition of EID on sheep farmers, especially when they don’t have to pick up the bill. If they were paying the costs, they would not be as quick with EID.”

John Lynskey said the current NSIS (National Sheep Identification System), even with its complexities, meets the regulatory and market requirements.