Information Meetings on Sheep Tagging
The 28 meetings, which are being run jointly by the Department of Agriculture, Food and Rural Development and Teagasc, are part of a nationwide information campaign aimed at helping farmers to fully understand the background, operations and benefits of the new National Sheep Identification System. They will be addressed by leading Teagasc advisers and representatives of the veterinary section of the Department.
Announcing details, Gerry Scully, Chief Sheep Adviser with Teagasc, said sheep tagging is now a fact of life and it is vitally important that farmers have full information on both the administration and animal welfare issues involved. In addition to imposing significant new obligations at farm level, there are also strict procedures which must be followed by both marts and meat factories to ensure full compliance with the new requirements. All of these requirements will be outlined in detail at the meetings.
Gerry Scully urged farmers to use the opportunity of the new sheep tagging rules to record what is going on in the flock.
"Many sheep farmers are already tagging sheep for management purposes and have made a huge improvement in flock performance. We would urge all sheep farmers to regard this as a vital added benefit of tagging", he said.
''While we accept that the new tagging system means extra work it is crucial for traceability in order to protect our vital export markets. It is the farmers' guarantee that their lamb carries a mark of excellence and they are proud of what they have produced", he added.
For the full schedule of meetings, click here
