A system of individual animal recording and electronic identification (EID) for sheep and goats will now be required from 31 December 2009. The Commission’s report on the implementation of electronic identification of sheep and goats was published on 16 November 2007.
Commenting on the decision Agriculture Minister Michelle Gildernew said: “I welcome the Council of Minister’s decision to set a date for the introduction of EID for sheep and goats as it has been my intention to introduce EID for sheep here as a replacement to our current national system. My officials will be working closely with their counterparts in Dublin to ensure that, as far as possible, a broadly similar EID system for sheep will be introduced on the Island. I will continue to work in close partnership with the industry to discuss the implementation of EID in a way which is practical and workable.”
The Minister continued: “I will also be joining Ministerial colleagues in Britain in seeking further amendments to the Sheep Identification Regulation to limit the impact of the introduction of the individual recording requirements which exists for older animals.”
Notes to Editors:
- Council Regulation (EC) No. 21/2004 (“the Regulation”), which was adopted on 17 December 2003, established a system for the identification and registration of ovine and caprine animals. Amongst other measures it provided for the introduction of individual animal recording and electronic identification (EID) for sheep and goats from 1 January 2008. This date was subject to confirmation or amendment by the Council, following a report from the Commission to the Council which was to have been submitted by 30 June 2006.
- The Commission’s report on the implementation of electronic identification of sheep and goats was published on 16 November 2007. Council Legal Service confirmed that if a decision was not taken before 1 January 2008, then EID would come into effect by default on that date.
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