I have placed a very high priority on improving Ireland's animal identification and traceability systems and I am determined to ensure that Ireland operates to the highest standards of disease monitoring and control, and remains at the forefront in terms of consumer assurance and food safety.
In the wake of the foot and mouth crisis of 2001, and against a backdrop of earlier unsuccessful efforts in this regard, I introduced a comprehensive individual sheep identification system – the national sheep identification system, NSIS, – which provides full individual identification and traceability of sheep from farm of origin to carcase and which is designed to be multi-functional, facilitating aspects such as flock management, consumer assurance and disease monitoring and control. In the latter regard, the FMD crisis underscored the potential damage to which our economy and the agriculture sector is exposed in the event of serious disease outbreaks if shortcomings in animal identification and traceability were not addressed.
Based on monitoring of NSIS and feedback to my Department from various quarters since 2001, I am satisfied that all elements of NSIS are now firmly bedded in across the sheep sector and working well. I have however made it clear consistently that I am always willing to enhance and improve NSIS and to address any operational difficulties which might arise, while maintaining its key components.
A new harmonised system of identification for the whole of the European Union has been proposed by the European Commission. The current proposals provide that there will be electronic individual identification of sheep from January 2008, together with a central movement database recording movements on a batch basis. The implementation date is subject to review following a Commission report in 2006. For the interim period it is proposed that all sheep be double tagged and identified individually, but that all recording would be on a flock basis. The final form of the proposal, which the Italian Presidency are bringing before the Council of Agriculture Ministers tomorrow will afford member states which already have systems in place offering a higher level of traceability than would be the case under the interim period system the option of retaining their own systems until the advent of electronic identification in a few years from now.