The Agriculture Committee of the Oireachtas discussed the decision by Minister for Agriculture Michael Creed to impose EID tagging for all sheep from 1 October with representatives from the Department of Agriculture Meat Industry Ireland (MII) this Tuesday.
Members of the committee agreed with the decision but said farmers should not be the only ones paying for it.
"The move is not something people would object to as such, it’s the fact that the cost is to be borne by farmers," Fianna Fáil's agriculture spokesperson Charlie McConalogue said.
While a €50 once-off payment will be available to sheep farmers to help with the transition, Deputy McConalogue said this was "no more than a sop".
'Show something for the farmer'
Sinn Féin agriculture spokesperson Martin Kenny said farmers' concern was that "that additional cost provide an additional return".
"The best answer is through the sheep welfare scheme that is out there at the moment – making it an action," he said. "It would show something for the farmer."
Fine Gael senator Michelle Mulherin agreed that the €50 payment was "not sufficient" and called for an increased sheep welfare payment too.
Department and MII representatives said blanket EID tagging was necessary to keep up with competitors such as regions of the UK, France or Spain and maintain or increase the number of countries currently importing Irish sheepmeat – currently 45, compared with 55 for pigmeat and 72 for beef.
Ireland has traceability issues
Department deputy chief veterinary officer Paula Barry Walsh said that one country had put some hard question to Ireland on traceability in cases of food safety recalls at the end of last year: "We haven't yet been able to reply."
She added other importers had made it clear that "Ireland has traceability issues".
While most speakers highlighted that EID tagging would mainly save administration costs for factories and marts, MII chair Philip Carroll said that it would also "save time and avoid errors for farmers" compared to writing down tag numbers at various points.
Cost
Department chief veterinary officer Martin Blake said he estimated the additional cost of EID tagging to be 75c/tag, amounting to a €75 to €78 for a 100-ewe lowland flock.
An Irish Farmers Journal calculation put this cost at €109 to €122 for a similar sized flock.
While admitting that "there is a cost", Minister for Agriculture Michael Creed said it would not fall under the welfare category supported by the SWS. He argued that EID tags were also a "labour saving device": "The labour requirement on sheep farms is far, far less than it would be under the current regime," Minister Creed said. "I know it will deliver in terms of market access," he added.
Read more
Calls for Department to subsidise EID tagging
EID tagging a 7% income cut for sheep farmers - ICSA
Significant numbers of sheep ‘not traceable to their farm of origin’ – report
The Agriculture Committee of the Oireachtas discussed the decision by Minister for Agriculture Michael Creed to impose EID tagging for all sheep from 1 October with representatives from the Department of Agriculture Meat Industry Ireland (MII) this Tuesday.
Members of the committee agreed with the decision but said farmers should not be the only ones paying for it.
"The move is not something people would object to as such, it’s the fact that the cost is to be borne by farmers," Fianna Fáil's agriculture spokesperson Charlie McConalogue said.
While a €50 once-off payment will be available to sheep farmers to help with the transition, Deputy McConalogue said this was "no more than a sop".
'Show something for the farmer'
Sinn Féin agriculture spokesperson Martin Kenny said farmers' concern was that "that additional cost provide an additional return".
"The best answer is through the sheep welfare scheme that is out there at the moment – making it an action," he said. "It would show something for the farmer."
Fine Gael senator Michelle Mulherin agreed that the €50 payment was "not sufficient" and called for an increased sheep welfare payment too.
Department and MII representatives said blanket EID tagging was necessary to keep up with competitors such as regions of the UK, France or Spain and maintain or increase the number of countries currently importing Irish sheepmeat – currently 45, compared with 55 for pigmeat and 72 for beef.
Ireland has traceability issues
Department deputy chief veterinary officer Paula Barry Walsh said that one country had put some hard question to Ireland on traceability in cases of food safety recalls at the end of last year: "We haven't yet been able to reply."
She added other importers had made it clear that "Ireland has traceability issues".
While most speakers highlighted that EID tagging would mainly save administration costs for factories and marts, MII chair Philip Carroll said that it would also "save time and avoid errors for farmers" compared to writing down tag numbers at various points.
Cost
Department chief veterinary officer Martin Blake said he estimated the additional cost of EID tagging to be 75c/tag, amounting to a €75 to €78 for a 100-ewe lowland flock.
An Irish Farmers Journal calculation put this cost at €109 to €122 for a similar sized flock.
While admitting that "there is a cost", Minister for Agriculture Michael Creed said it would not fall under the welfare category supported by the SWS. He argued that EID tags were also a "labour saving device": "The labour requirement on sheep farms is far, far less than it would be under the current regime," Minister Creed said. "I know it will deliver in terms of market access," he added.
Read more
Calls for Department to subsidise EID tagging
EID tagging a 7% income cut for sheep farmers - ICSA
Significant numbers of sheep ‘not traceable to their farm of origin’ – report
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