Electronic Identification (EID)

For information on EID -
http://www.scoteid.com/index.php?q=node/15 (What Is Electronic Identification (EID)?)
http://www.defra.gov.uk/foodfarm/farmanimal/movements/sheep/about.htm (What is EID? with links to other pages)
http://www.nfuonline.com/Documents/Livestock/EID%20Special.pdf (NFU Sheep EID Bulletin Special)
http://www.smallholder.co.uk/news/smallholdernews/4590979.Sheep_and_goat_EID_changes/ (Sheep and goat EID changes: Felicity Stockwell explains how Smallholders will reap the most benefit.)

The EBLEX guide to EID (Adobe Acrobat Reader is required)

NSA and LAA to give EID advice to farmers with help of EBLEX

National Sheep Association and the Livestock Auctioneers Association are jointly giving the opportunity to sheep farmers throughout England to learn more about the forthcoming EID regulations.

About 30 open meetings have been organised throughout England and are mostly being held in livestock markets. At these meetings and with the assistance of materials provided by EBLEX, the regulations will be explained and questions answered. In addition information will be given to farmers on what they will need to do to comply in a variety of sheep farming systems. There will also be advice on the practical challenges and potential training needs of undertaking the electronic identification of sheep as well as the possible management benefits for some flocks of adopting the technology.

NSA Chief Executive Peter Morris said “All are welcome to attend these open meetings which will run from mid October to early December. Similar meetings are being organised in other parts of the country and details of these will be available in due course. It is vital that all sheep farmers understand what they are required to do so that these regulations do not do unnecessary damage to their businesses.”

NSA EID Meetings Pull in the Crowds

The autumn roadshow of EID meetings organised by the National Sheep Association (NSA) in conjunction with the Livestock Auctioneers Association (LAA) and supported in England by EBLEX have kicked of in the South East of England.

The early meetings have been extremely well attended and have shown that the resentment felt by many sheep farmers towards the imposition of the new identification and movement recording regulations is still present. However alongside the frustration is also a strong desire to know what the new regulations will mean for them as individual sheep farmers and what the impact on their businesses will be.

The format of the meetings is a presentation by NSA on the new regulations with a question and answer session at the end. A detailed Question and Answer pamphlet is also available to all those attending to take away.

NSA Chief Executive Peter Morris said ‘ NSA is not particularly happy that we are having to go around the country informing our members and other sheep farmers about these regulations as our opposition to them in principle is resolute. Sadly the new rules will add cost and hassle to all sheep farming businesses and that is bad news. However NSA does recognise that as the organisation representing the interests of sheep farmers there is a responsibility to ensure that those affected are fully informed about what the regulations will mean for them and that is the task that NSA will undertake.’

The early meetings in the SE of England have shown that there is a very wide range of knowledge amongst sheep farmers on the regulations with some asking detailed questions and others still struggling to come to terms with the basics. It is also very clear already that there is a huge amount of misinformation out there about the regulations and for many farmers the changes that have been secured in recent weeks mean that the negative impact is much less than they were expecting.

Mr Morris continued ‘January 1st 2010 is drawing ever nearer and sheep farmers are now keen to know and understand what they will have to do. Myth busting is an important part of these meetings as it is often the myths that do the most damage to confidence. With all the changes that have been secured to the implementation of these regulations it is very important that farmers understand basic things such as the fact that the vast majority of them won’t need to buy or use EID readers or have to use computers in order to comply with the new rules. It has already become evident it is information like this which for some will make the difference and persuade them to stay in sheep farming and not quit the industry.

The meetings will continue in the coming weeks and move up the country (details below)

For further information contact the National Sheep Association, The Sheep Centre, Malvern, Worcs. WR13 6PH; Tel: 01684892661; Fax: 01684892663; website: www.nationalsheep.org.uk

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