The tagging of all 8 million sheep in the Republic moved a step nearer yesterday following a meeting of the sheep forum in Dublin. The forum was brought together by the Minister for Agriculture, Mr Walsh, to devise a strategy for the development of the industry for the next six years.
The Department of Agriculture is seeking the tagging of all sheep so it can proceed with a national quality assurance scheme in which traceability will form a major part. It confirmed yesterday that it had drawn up the necessary legislation for a statutory national quality scheme.
Farmers are reluctant to tag sheep because of the additional costs, a reluctance which has delayed the publication of the legislation. A draft report which has emerged from the meetings has broad acceptance but the issue of tagging has delayed its implementation also.
While the producers agree in principle to tagging sheep, they want to link this to marketing, grading and other issues. The Irish Farmers' Association, which represents most of the 59,000 sheep farmers in the State, wants another meeting of the group before the matter is completed.
"We want to ensure that tagging will be linked to marketing and that it is part of the quality assurance scheme. We have reservations which we would like to tease out," an IFA spokesman said.
His organisation had proposed the establishment of a partnership involving the farmers, the processors, Teagasc and the Irish Food Board. "We also believe it is essential that a national co-ordinator be appointed to oversee the policies and that he drive the industry in the same way the potato industry evolved," he said.
It is understood the Department of Agriculture is insisting on tagging being put in place before the next lambing season, which is six months away.