Vol. 477 No. 2
282 Mr. Creed asked the Minister for Agriculture, Food and Forestry if he has satisfied himself with the efficiency and effectiveness of the new cattle tagging system; the complaints, if any, which have been received from farmers about the new system; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [8877/97]
The new cattle tagging and birth registration system is, in general, operating efficiently. As in 1996, herd owners have received supplies of plastic tags for 1997. Some operational aspects are being refined, in part to address concerns expressed by herd owners and others. These include improvements in the quality of the identity card-administrative document and in the processing of applications for additional tags. Information available at this stage indicates that the tag fall-out rate for the new tags is low but a more detailed survey will be carried out shortly by the Department on this aspect.
