Scott calls for Ministerial action on sheep tagging threat

8.14.55am BST (GMT +0100) Thu 28th May 2009

The Scottish Government must support the sheep industry, it is time for action, says Shetland MSP, Tavish Scott.

A Liberal Democrat debate in the Parliament yesterday evening highlighted the draconian impact of electronic identification tagging every lamb, ewe and flock. This, according to the European Commission, must be done by January 2010. Shetland MSP, Tavish Scott, met the Agriculture Commission in Brussels last week to highlight the impact of this measure on crofts and farms in the isles. Yesterday, Orkney MSP, Liam McArthur, led a Parliamentary debate calling on the Scottish Government to back the Shetland NFU and Scottish Crofting Foundation campaign to stop the sheep tagging regime being imposed.

Tavish Scott said, “Parliament has said that sheep tagging cannot work and the European Commission must change its position. We need Scottish Ministers to get behind the agriculture industry now and deliver a change.

“The proposed system is expensive - a cost borne by the crofter and farmer. Yet these costs cannot be balanced by any improvement in disease control. Shetland has worked hard on tackling disease over many years. The electronic tagging will not assist in improving the high health status of the Shetland flock. Ministers must put their shoulder to the wheel and stop this bad proposal.”