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Wales - FUW Refers EC EID Tag Quality Issues to Defra Minister

2011-08-18T16:24:00.000+01:00

The Farmers’ Union of Wales has demanded an explanation from Defra minister Jim Paice after the European Commission implied farmers’ problems with sheep electronic identification (EID) are caused by the UK allowing sub-standard ear tags.

Responding to letters from the union to the EC’s directorate general for health and consumers and the directorate general for agriculture and rural development, the Commission suggested that “a significant part of the problem encountered (with EID) may result from the use of bad quality ear-tags……”

It also stated that “the Commission services have repeatedly encouraged the UK competent authorities to ensure that only high quality electronic ear-tags are approved for the tagging of sheep”.

Speaking at Anglesey County Show today, FUW president Emyr Jones, a Bala beef and sheep farmer, said: “Given that the EC is responsible for laying down the rules with regard to EID, they seem to be implying that tags in the UK fall below the standards set by themselves.

“We have, therefore, asked the UK Minister for assurances that this is not the case. If this is not what the Commission is implying, then it is an effective admission that the standards set by Europe are not capable of being delivered in terms of the Regulation.

“Either way, we are being forced to use a costly technology which is not fit for purpose.”

Mr Jones added that any enhancement of the minimum EU tag standards by the UK authorities might be open to legal challenges, given that Europe has set a pan-European standard which should have minimised any problems with the technology.

“There may also be a problem in terms of any enhanced standard leading to the compulsory tagging of animals with small ears with larger tags than is practical or humane, leading to a massive welfare issue,” he added.

Mr Jones’s letter to Mr Paice states: “The FUW has long objected to the compulsory electronic identification and recording of sheep and this position was based upon evidence gathered during numerous trials which identified major shortcomings with EID technology.

“The experience of our members since EID was made compulsory has confirmed that these concerns were well founded.

“Nevertheless, the Union recognises that those Member States, such as the UK, which now object to EID represent a minority within the EU, and that efforts must therefore be made to ensure that the impact of the current Regulations are minimised, particularly in terms of penalties which may be incurred as a result of circumstances which are beyond the reasonable control of farmers.

“Given the above concerns, I would be grateful for your assurances that any allegations by the European Commission that UK sheep tags do not meet the standards set by themselves are incorrect, and that systems are in place in order to deal appropriately with any cases where tags are believed to be sub-standard.”

Electronic Tagging for Sheep

2011-08-18T16:19:00.000+01:00

10/08/2011

The Scottish Government has been successful in negotiations with the EU on plans for a proportionate cross compliance system for Scottish sheep farmers.

The European Commission is content with Scotland's proposals and commented positively on the steps taken in Scotland, including the development of ScotEID - the Scottish electronic identification database. The Scottish solution takes account of the unique nature of Scotland's diverse sheep industry.

Under the new regime Scottish farmers must comply with the EU regulations to avoid penalties. However, some leeway at inspection is to be allowed - to account for technology failures and the difficulties associated with gathering sheep on extensive hill terrain.

Rural Affairs Secretary Richard Lochhead said:

"Although this regulation has not been the easiest to implement, we fought hard to promote our unique Scottish position on sheep electronic identification and I'm pleased that the European Commission has accepted our proposal for a more proportionate compliance system.

"I do not for a minute pretend that the regime will be easy for many producers but I do hope that this news will at least lift the fear that unavoidable errors would lead to draconian penalties. This has been the source of anxiety for many.

"I have said all along that we would work flat out to avoid a situation where farmers are deterred from producing - and I will keep doing so. The last thing we need is European regulations rewarding those that produce the least and penalise those that want to get on with producing Europe's food.

"To help the sheep sector, we have invested £5 million to deliver a system that meets Scottish needs and addresses the animal health and traceability issues while limiting the burden on farmers. I'm hopeful that farmers will now be able to meet the requirements of the new system, safeguarding some £600 million of EU support each year.

"Our commitment to developing a more workable solution that is fair for Scottish farmers appears to have been vindicated. We continue through this transitional period to further develop the Scottish EID database to alleviate the burden on our industry.

"The Scottish Government is now finalising guidance for sheep farmers, including how to reduce the risk of incurring cross compliance penalties, in the light of this encouraging development."

The rules require:

Double tagging, including one EID tag, for sheep being kept over 12 months of age

Single EID tagging for lambs destined for slaughter before 12 months of age
Completing detailed movement, tagging records, and maintaining an up to date flock register

Individual recording of sheep (and goats) is an EU requirement to address EU-wide inadequacies with identification and tracing which were identified during the 2001 Foot and Mouth Disease outbreak. EID is also designed to make recording quicker and more accurate throughout the food chain.

DALTON ID Acquire Drovers AY-ONE and announcing new supply arrangements in Australia and New Zealand

2011-06-16T10:38:00.000+01:00

SYDNEY, AUSTRALIA– JUNE 2011 – DALTON ID announced today their Acquisition of 100% of the shareholding of DROVERS Ay-One Pty Ltd, one of the key suppliers of ID products to the Australian Livestock industry. DROVERS AY ONE Pty. Ltd. was established in 1986 and by 1995 was the major supplier of tail tags to Australian Cattle Producers. Drovers’ product range has grown over the years to include a wide range of livestock ID products including NLIS tags for cattle and sheep, management and tail tags. The business also incorporates one of Australia few remaining Bronze foundries for freeze and fire brand production.

“Renowned for their excellent customer service and product support we believe DROVERS experienced team combined with DALTON products and production processes will produce a winning combination.” Said Daniel Brierley, Global Sales Director for Dalton ID and former Managing Director of Dalton Australia. Both Jim Norris and Kate Murphy, the current proprietors, will remain with the business as Technical and General Manager respectively. “DROVERS produce Australia’s only “EZ Read” NLIS EID cattle tag with a flag and Dalton’s Global buying power will now enable us to offer the very lowest prices to our customers” said Jim Norris.

Daltontags were previously distributed by Gallagher Australia. DALTON ID and GALLAGHER AUSTRALIA announced in February that their distribution arrangement in the Australian and New Zealand markets would be ending. “We’re delighted to be producing Dalton’s full range of tags” said Kate Murphy. “Gallagher Australia has been a great help and have worked closely with our team to ensure a smooth transfer of operational functions. Stock and production facilities are now in place in our newly refurbished Printing and Distribution centre. Our product range still includes a wide variety of NLIS tags, Management tags and the new No Snag tag range, light weight sheep EID and tissue sampling DNA tags”.

Producers requiring free samples, pricing or further information on DALTON DROVERS products should ask their local merchant or contact the Dalton/Drover sales team 1300 923 181 (email sales@daltonid.com.au) or visit www.tags4u.com.au

About Dalton ID Limited

By acquiring a wholly owned Australian base DALTON ID are consolidating their global position further to complement their group already established in Europe, Asia, Africa and Latin America. The very first company in the world to patent and produce two piece plastic ear tags for livestock, DALTON ID was established in 1947 and entered the Australian market in 1984. It has remained the company with a globally recognised brand for over 60 years.

Daltonproducts are utilized throughout the world and while livestock identification systems for disease control, traceability and meat assurance are the company’s main business it remains also a world leader in producing systems for wildlife and marine research.

Over the past sixty years its Trademark brands; Supertag, I-Tag, Rototag, Tagomatic, Jumbotag and Integritag remain globally recognized supplying official and non-official International Identification Schemes. DALTON ID has extensive experience in the field of Radio Frequency Identification (referred to as RFID or EID) having manufactured, assembled and distributed EID systems since 1995. The company manufactures a wide range of ICAR Approved and JRC Certified tags in both HDX and FDX which are called I-Tags®. For further information please visit www.daltonid.com.

Contacts:

Dalton ID (Australia) Pty. Limited

Strategic Communication Office

Kate Murphy

AustraliaTel: 1300 923 181

Overseas: +6 1249 923 111

kate@daltonid.com.au
Drovers Team

From Left to right:

Daniel Brierley, Global Sales & Marketing Director; Kate Murphy, General Manager

Jim Norris, Technical Manager; Torsten Nordfjeld, Global Operations Director

NFU supports new TB measures to counteract fraud

2011-04-06T12:14:00.002+01:00

The NFU has reiterated its commitment to working with Defra to eradicate bovine TB and welcomed moves to DNA tag cattle testing positive for the disease

http://www.smallholder.co.uk/news/8952777.NFU_supports_new_TB_measures_to_counteract_fraud/

Gloucestershire cows ID scam probe leads to DNA tagging

2011-04-06T12:13:00.000+01:00

DNA identification is being introduced on TB infected cattle after claims that farnmers were illegally swapping ear tags from diseased to healthy stock

http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-england-gloucestershire-12921877

BCMS announces new cattle passport

2011-03-07T14:43:00.002Z

7 March 2011 | By Jack Davies

THE European Commission has confirmed it will be putting forward a proposal for electronic identification (EID) in cattle to replace the current system of ear tagging.

The plans have been discussed for a number of years at at last week’s Paris ‘Salon de l’Agriculture’ the Directorate General for Health and Consumers (DG SANCO) said the plans would be put forward later this year.

It would replace the current plastic tagging system and would see the cattle sector follow its colleagues in sheep in adopting the electronic system.

Bernard Van Goethem, director for the Animal Health and Welfare (DG SANCO), said: “Including bovines in our traceability programme will be a major step in our activities in 2011.

“Traceability helps to ensure the highest possible levels of food safety and hygiene. It is vital in preventing the spread of foot-and-mouth disease, Bovine Spongiform Encephalopathy (BSE), and classical swine fever. In addition, traceability ensures food quality and taste via accurate labelling.”

The Commission said switching to EID would simplify the current procedures and reduce the administrative burden on farmers as well as increasing the competitiveness of the sector by offering a potential farm management tool.

EU to unveil plans for cattle EID

2011-03-07T14:36:00.000Z

THE European Commission has confirmed it will be putting forward a proposal for electronic identification (EID) in cattle to replace the current system of ear tagging.

It would replace the current plastic tagging system and would see the cattle sector follow its colleagues in sheep in adopting the electronic system.

Bernard Van Goethem, director for the Animal Health and Welfare (DG SANCO), said: “Including bovines in our traceability programme will be a major step in our activities in 2011.

http://www.farmersguardian.com/home/livestock/livestock-news/eu-to-unveil-plans-for-cattle-eid/37616.article

Bovines To Receive Digital ID

2011-03-02T15:06:00.000Z

EU - The European Commission is working on a proposal to introduce electronic identification in bovine animals, as the traceability of animals and animal products across Europe plays an important role in protecting both animal and consumer health.

At the Paris ‘Salon de l’Agriculture’ (19th-27th February) the European Commission announced it is preparing a proposal for electronic identification in bovines, upgrading the existing plastic tagging system.

DG SANCO, the European Commission’s Directorate General for Health and Consumers, is confident this step will further increase the traceability of animals and food products for veterinary and food safety purposes, controlling the spread of animal diseases, with veterinarians playing a key role in the process. This further highlights the diverse role vets play in our daily lives.

Strengthening the current system of animal traceability in the EU

The European Commission is working on a proposal to introduce electronic identification in bovine animals, as the traceability of animals and animal products across Europe plays an important role in protecting both animal and consumer health.

Currently there is specific EU legislation on the use of electronic identification for other animals in the EU (e.g. pets, horses, sheep and goats), but with bovine electronic identification it could mean an estimated 90 million animals are included into the digital control system.

Digital ID brings benefits for farmers and food industry

The traceability system has already proven its value. E-reading offers new opportunities for all of the industry, making the current system of traceability more accurate and faster, therefore improving our ability to trace animals and food products for veterinary and food safety purposes.

This is necessary to manage disease outbreaks when they occur. Electronic identification will simplify the current procedures and reduce the administrative burden.

The system will increase the competitiveness of the sector, as it is an excellent tool for improving farm management and on-farm automation. Other benefits from electronic tagging will be breed improvement and fraud prevention.

Bernard Van Goethem, Director for the Animal Health and Welfare (DG SANCO), said: “Including bovines in our traceability programme will be a major step in our activities in 2011. Traceability helps to ensure the highest possible levels of food safety and hygiene. It is vital in preventing the spread of foot-and-mouth disease, Bovine Spongiform Encephalopathy (BSE), and classical swine fever. In addition, traceability ensures food quality and taste via accurate labelling

Jacob Sheep Society Prefer Dalton tags

2010-03-16T14:28:00.000Z

Since 1967 the Jacob Sheep Society have used Dalton tags as their preferred Society tag. Again this year they have chosen Dalton.

Member orders can be placed here: www.tags4u.com/gb

Texel Sheep Society Special Offer

2010-03-16T13:37:00.000Z

The Texel Sheep Society and Dalton have agreed special discounts for members for EID sheep tags and applicators
Click Here for details

Farmers Union of Wales Choose Dalton

2010-03-16T13:35:00.001Z

With over 45,000 members the Farmers Union of Wales have given careful consideration to their preferred tag supplier.....
They chose Dalton as the preferred tag supplier and now orders can be placed online at www.tags4u.com/gb
Click here to view Special Offer

Aberdeen Angus Choose dalton as Preferred tag Supplier

2010-03-16T13:34:00.001Z

Dalton tags are now the preferred tag supplier to the
Aberdeen Angus Cattle Society
orders can be placed on www.tags4u.com/gb
Click here to view Special Offer

Holstein NI Prefer Dalton for their Eartags

2010-03-16T13:31:00.000Z

Having a proven Retention rate of 98% Dalton tags are now the preferred tag supplier to the
Holstein Northern Ireland
orders can be placed on www.tags4u.com/gb
Click here to view Special Offer

Ayrshire Cattle Society Choose Dalton tags

2010-03-16T13:30:00.002Z

Having a proven Retention rate of 98% Dalton tags are now the preferred tag supplier to the
Ayshire Cattle Society
orders can be placed on www.tags4u.com/gb
Click here to view Special Offer

British Blue choose Dalton as their preferred tag supplier

2010-03-16T13:30:00.001Z

Dalton tags now the preferred tag supplier to the
British Blue Cattle Society
orders can be placed on www.tags4u.com/gb
Click here to view Special Offer

British Limousin Cattle Society decides upon Dalton tags

2010-03-16T13:29:00.001Z

Dalton tags now the preferred tag supplier to the
British Limousin Cattle Society
orders can be placed on www.tags4u.com/gb
Click here to view Special Offer

Hereford Cattlle Society Prefer Dalton tags

2010-03-16T13:28:00.002Z

Dalton tags now the preferred tag supplier to the
Hereford Cattle Society
orders can be placed on www.tags4u.com/gb
Click here to view Special Offer

Highland Cattle Decide to Adopt Dalton tags

2010-03-16T13:28:00.001Z

Dalton tags now the preferred tag supplier to the
Highland Cattle Society
orders can be placed on www.tags4u.com/gb
Click here to view Special Offer

Salers Cattle prefer Dalton tags

2010-03-16T13:27:00.000Z

Dalton tags now the preferred tag supplier to the
Salers Cattle Society
orders can be placed on www.tags4u.com/gb
Click here to view Special Offer

Simmental Cattle Society Prefer Dalton tags

2010-03-16T13:26:00.000Z

Dalton tags now the preferred tag supplier to the
Simmental Cattle Society
orders can be placed on www.tags4u.com/gb
Click here to view Special Offer

Charolais Cattle Society Prefer Dalton

2010-03-16T13:24:00.000Z

Dalton tags now the preferred tag supplier to the
Charolais Cattle Society
orders can be placed on www.tags4u.com/gb
Click here to view Special Offer