This follows a recent meeting of the Rare Breeds Survival Trust (RBST) and the Shetland Sheep Society with officials from D G Sanco, the European Directorate General for Health and Consumer Affairs which is responsible for the new EID measures.
At the Brussels meeting, concerns were expressed by Tim Brigstocke, RBST Executive Chairman and David Trotter, Chairman of the Shetland Sheep Society that little or no attention had been paid to the impact on other EU legislation when the EID regulations were being drawn up. Particularly affected is the European biodiversity programme for agriculture, Council Regulation EC 870/2004 (“The Biodiversity Regulation”). This recognises the need to increase the use of under utilised native breeds and it clearly seeks to assist native sheep breeds with low numbers by imposing a duty on National Governments to frame regulations in accordance with the aims of the Regulation.
Said Tim Brigstocke, Executive Chairman, “It was a good meeting, but in the course of the discussion it was clear that the officials implementing the EID legislation were completely unaware of this other Council Regulation. RBST has taken legal advice and in their view the Biodiversity Regulation is binding and among other things requires the EU and National Governments to frame all regulations including those relating to EID in the light of their obligations towards the keeping and promoting of Native breeds of sheep particularly those considered to be at risk.”
With the preservation of Farm Animals Genetic Resources (FAnGR) and of Breeds at Risk (BAR) not having been considered in the course of the framing of the EID Directive, David Trotter expressed great concern for the future of primitive breeds of sheep, including the Shetland, which were largely kept by enthusiasts rather than commercial farmers. The implementation of EID could be a disincentive to the keeping of native breeds where the additional cost represents a high proportion of the sale value of the sheep.
Tim Brigstocke explained that a recent survey by RBST had indicated that a sufficient number of keepers of Breeds at Risk would cease to keep sheep as a result of EID.
Said Tim Brigstocke, “We were pleased with the outcome of our meeting. The EC officials will be sending a note of ideas to rectify any potential problems that the introduction of EID might bring and in future they will give greater consideration to Breeds at Risk and the effect that any legislation may have on a country’s Farm Animal Genetic Resources.”
It is hoped that even at this late hour Defra and the National Standing Committee on Farm Animal Genetic Resources will pay attention to the effect of EID on our Rare and Native Sheep Breeds and at the very least monitor the situation with greater attention than they have hitherto shown towards this matter
EC regulators are set to consider the impact of Electronic Identification (EID) on biodiversity and on sheep breeds at risk (BAR).
Photo: Greyface Dartmoor