A large number of Scottish Blackface breeders are expected to become scrapie accredited to allow them to continue to sell sheep to NI.

As revealed in last week’s edition, the UK and EU have agreed that flock owners in Britain who register for scrapie monitoring before 31 December 2021 will receive a new qualifying status, allowing them to export to NI.

It will be a huge help for a lot of Blackface breeders

The agreement essentially fast-tracks negligible risk status which would usually take seven years.

Alan Blackwood from Auldhouseburn Blackfaces believes there will be a big uptake in the scheme.

“It will be a huge help for a lot of Blackface breeders where their main trade for ewe lambs is to Irish buyers. We will apply to the scheme now the qualifying status is available,” he confirmed.

Confident

A spokesperson for the Blackface Breeders Association told the Irish Farmers Journal that they are confident an increased number of sheep will to go to NI from Scotland next year.

We are supporting any member going down this route

“There are a considerable number of members looking at joining the scheme to allow them to continue to supply customers in NI. We are supporting any member going down this route as this is an important market for our breed.”

Implications

However, not all breeders are as enthusiastic given there are various implications from joining the scheme.

We shouldn’t have to bend over backwards for a mistake by the Government

“I wouldn’t want to push this forward as an easy solution. You can’t buy from a non-accredited flock which will make getting stock tups hard,” said John MacGregor of Allanfauld Blackfaces.

“We shouldn’t have to bend over backwards for a mistake by the Government, but we will have to take a look at getting accredited.”

Historically, around 9,000 mainly Blackface sheep have been bought in Scotland annually by NI breeders.

As well as only buying from other accredited flocks, to maintain scrapie accreditation farmers will have to prevent contact with neighbouring flocks by double fencing.

Given that many hill farms utilise winter grazing, this will be challenging.

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