EU rules will see sheep 'disappear'

The number of sheep across Shropshire and Mid Wales is set to be slashed as farmers face huge bills under new EU rules.

From January 1, 2010, Britain's 30 million sheep will have to wear a tag so their movements can be monitored – a plan expected to cost farmers £65 million.

Glyn Davies, a sheep farmer from Welshpool, said farmers and politicians across England and Wales were opposed to electronic sheep identification (EID).

"Everybody in the farming industry is totally opposed to what is a totally unnecessary scheme being imposed by the European Commission," he said.

"It won't work and will mean a huge expense to the sheep industry."

The EU claims EID tags will help to contain outbreaks of disease such as foot and mouth, but farmers will be forced to pay for 92 per cent of the cost of the scheme themselves – each tag costs £1.50 and electronic tag readers £5,000.

Oliver Cartwright, National Farmers' Union (NFU) West Midlands spokesman, said the union feared a significant percentage of the nation's sheep would disappear if EID was introduced.

"It is going to have a serious impact on livestock producers and, in the long term, on the rural economy of Shropshire and Mid Wales," he said.

Mr Cartwright said a survey carried out earlier this year showed 67 per cent of producers would reduce their flock if electronic recording was brought in and, of those, just under half said they would go out of sheep production altogether.

Gareth Vaughan, Farmers' Union of Wales president and a sheep farmer from Dolfor, near Newtown, said he would oppose the legislation to the bitter end.

But Mr Vaughan said: "Our chances of winning a reprieve grow ever dimmer and, with January 2010 rapidly approaching, we must face the possibility we will not receive the support from other member states needed to reverse the decision."

By Deborah Knox