Cecilia Keaveney
Ceist:98 Cecilia Keaveney asked the Minister for Agriculture and Food the status of the sheep register and the reconciliation of the sheep tagging; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [20968/02]
Vol. 556 No. 5
98 Cecilia Keaveney asked the Minister for Agriculture and Food the status of the sheep register and the reconciliation of the sheep tagging; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [20968/02]
105 Mr. Durkan asked the Minister for Agriculture and Food if he has satisfied himself that existing procedures regarding to traceability in the sheep industry are workable; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [20988/02]
(Mr. Walsh): I propose to take Questions Nos. 98 and 105 together.
I remain fully committed to the principles of the national sheep identification system (NSIS), which provides the means by which each individual animal in the national flock can be identified and traced from birth to carcass, with ensuing benefits in areas such as disease monitoring and control, consumer assurance, flock management, etc. Based on its own monitoring my Department believes that the NSIS is generally working well.
I have, however, always made it clear that specific difficulties which flockowners may encounter will be examined with a view to resolving such difficulties within the key parameters of the system. In this context and as a result of feedback to the Department from flockowners and via farmer representative bodies it is acknowledged that a full reconciliation with the flock register may be difficult for some farmers given the fact that the "group" approach to recording of details in the register had been agreed. To address this problem I have decided that the reconciliation for 2002 should be simplified. A letter outlining full details of this adjustment in approach is being issued to all flockowners this week.