Gildernew encourages farmers to make more use of on-line services

Agriculture Minister, Michelle Gildernew MP, MLA today, encouraged farmers to make more use of on-line services provided by the Department of Agriculture and Rural Development.

The Minister was speaking at CAFRE’s Greenmount Campus where she saw a demonstration of technology which can simplify life for farmers and the Department (DARD).

"Technology is not for the benefit of the Department or the benefit of the farmer and others, it is for the benefit of us all, making life simpler and cutting out lots of paperwork," said the Minister.

The Minister was shown the Animal Public Health Information System (APHIS) which is an on-line system that enables farmers to use the internet to register births, death and movement of cattle. It also allows farmers to view and download current and historical herd lists, view post mortem details of slaughtered animals and find details of brucellosis and tuberculosis herd tests. It has been in use since 2002 and more and more farmers are availing of the convenience it provides.

"APHIS On-line is really impressive and so convenient for the farmer to use and there are so many things which are currently done on paper that can be done on-line. Farmers can do this business from the convenience of their own home or indeed from anywhere they can access the internet. In addition if they are not familiar with computer technology CAFRE provides training and they should enquire about this from any of DARD’s staff.

"Not only can farmers register information about their herds, but they can also access a number of other services on-line. These include completing their Single Farm Payment or census returns and the use of a comprehensive suite of online business tools. These range from benchmarking applications across a number of farm enterprises to nutrient management calculators, which help the farmer calculate for example, nitrogen loading or phosphorus balance for the farm.

"Filling in Single Farm Payment applications on line can help reduce the likelihood of penalties as mistakes can be picked up and dealt with easier and much more quickly than it if is done through the post."

The Minister also saw a demonstration of the sheep electronic identification (EID) system which will come into operation on 1 January next under EU rules. She assured farmers that, having seen the system at close quarters they had nothing to fear and indeed it could be a real benefit to all.

"It is really fascinating how a hand held reader can identify so much information from a chip in a small tag on the sheep’s ear. This will be mandatory from 1 January next but I think it will be or real benefit to farmers, traders, markets and abattoirs. Certainly there is nothing to be afraid of and the benefits can be many.

"The Department recently launched a public consultation on proposals for the introduction of the new EID system and comments are sought by 6 November 2009. The new system will require the individual identity of sheep and goats born after 31 December 2009 to be recorded when they are moved. In order to allow this to be achieved for sheep, the Regulation requires them to be identified with both an EID device and a matching conventional tag."

The Minister went on to say: "I fought to keep the EU legislation and the system itself as simple as possible and I am delighted that this has been successful. It is also important to remember that farmers who want to take full advantage of technology for animal ID can get assistance with the purchase on many of the items under the Farm Modernisation Programme."

Notes to editors:

1. The public consultation on proposals for the introduction of EU rules on the electronic identification of sheep covers the implementation of individual movement recording for sheep and goats, and electronic identification (EID) of sheep, as required by Council Regulation (EC) 21/2004.

2. The Regulation requires the individual identity of sheep and goats born after 31 December 2009 to be recorded when they are moved. In order to allow this to be achieved for sheep, the Regulation requires them to be identified with an EID device and a conventional tag.

3. All media enquiries should be directed to the DARD Press Office on 028 9052 4619. Out of office hours please contact the duty press officer via pager number 07699 715 440 and your call will be returned.