Hilary Benn fights EC Council Regulation 21/2004 introducing individual electronic identification (EID) .. First they came for the Sheep and Goats ...

Yet again the petifogging EU bureaucrats are at work and by dint of hard slogging young Hilary Benn (Gemma Garrett thinks he's really dishy !) has managed to delay the consequences of the The EU Commission's Standing Committee on the Food Chain and Animal Health (Scofcah) who have recently voted by qualified majority for changes to the individual recording requirements for sheep and goats.

All goats and sheep can relax, EID's (numeric digital signatures on a permanent plastic ear tag) will not be needed until 2011 when Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, Hilary Benn, will no longer be in office. (DEFRA FAQ's here)

Regulation 21/2004 was adopted as long ago as 2003 and provided for EID to be introduced from 1st January this year. By December we had secured a further last minute delay until 31 December 2009, now this monstrous burden has been lifted again.

Gemma wonders when the secret negotiations are concluded at midnight somewhere, that means all EU citizens, never mind the sheep and goats will be provided with an electronic tag.The current ID card plans are a very near substitute and Gemma is hard at work in Haltemprice and Howden to call for stopping the ID database ...First they came for the Sheep and Goats she cries.



Meanwhile Gemma wait's to hear from David "Basher Davis's view on this welcome retreat from a frightening prospect for our native sheep and goats.