EU Legislation, Initiatives, etc.
Defra: The EU Commission's Standing Committee on the Food Chain and Animal Health (Scofcah) has voted by qualified majority for changes to the individual recording requirements for sheep & goats. EC Council Regulation 21/2004 introduces electronic identification (EID) of sheep and individual recording of sheep & goats from 31 December 2009. However, industry identified the requirement to record individual details of animals that are not electronically identified on movement documents as too burdensome.
Defra has worked closely with the Commission and has secured changes to the annexes of the Regulation that may considerably reduce the movement recording burdens. The Regulation now provides for a phased approach to the introduction of individual recording as follows:
* no animals to have to be individually recorded on a movement document until 1 January 2011
* no animals born before 31 December 2009 have to be individually recorded on a movement document until 31 December 2011 and
* no animal born before 31 December 2009 and moving to slaughter (directly or via a market) have to be recorded on a movement document at all
Press release ~ Defra: Livestock movements, identification and tracing: sheep and goats ~ Standing Committee on the Food Chain and Animal Health (Scofcah) ~ EC Council Regulation 21/2004
.png)
