The Minster for Agriculture has announced details of the sheep tagging scheme which will come into operation in May.
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The National Sheep Identification System (NSIS) will involve the tagging of the national flock before year-end, with all animals which move off farms being tagged from May.
It will encompass producers, marts, meat factories and will provide for traceability from farm of origin through to the eventual carcass. Along with producers tagging their sheep meat, factories will be required to link the individual tag number to the number of the finished carcasses.
It will be an offence to trade in any sheep which are not tagged in accordance with the requirements of the NSIS.
Mr Walsh said his department had taken into account the constructive views put forward by producers, marts and processors when formulating the NSIS.
"It has been an open secret that we have in the past met with resistance to the idea of sheep tagging. However, it has always been our view that proper and identification and traceability in the sheep sector are absolutely essential," he said.
He added: "Recent events have served only to reinforce that view and I have been determined that a system such as the NSIS should be introduced without further delay."
Some of the main points of the National sheep Identification System are:
- All sheep will be required to be tagged, in the left ear, no later than December 15th of the year of birth or on movement off the farm of origin.
- Where all animals are going directly to a slaughterhouse from the holding of origin it will be permissible, subject to all requirements of the NSIS, to use a final dispatch tag.
- On arrival at the second holding the farmer will insert his/her own tags - bearing the appropriate flock number and individual number - in the right ear of the sheep.
- Marts will be required to record the flock number of sheep being sold.
- Meat factories must ensure that each animal presented for slaughter bears the appropriate ear tag enabling it to be identified.