asked the Minister for Agriculture and Food when his Department will approve and make available a suitable dye to identify sheep that are properly dipped throughout the country; and if he will make a statement on the matter.
Written Answers. - Identification of Dipped Sheep.
54.
The Department's veterinary research laboratory has for a number of years past attempted to develop a dye which would assist the identification of dipped sheep. Following a series of tests and field trials in 1985 and 1986 it was decided not to continue with this experiment. The shortcomings of the dye were: (1) It could not be incorporated in the dip at manufacturing stage; (2) It was not visible to casual inspection after one week; (3) The additional annual costs to sheep farming could amount to £400,000; (4) The price for wool from dye treated fleeces could be discounted by as much as 4p to 6p per lb.