MANY farmers have warned they will give up sheep farming if they are forced to electronically eartag animals.

And just as many have said they will drastically reduce their flocks.

The National Farmers Union has warned that such losses would have a devastating impact on livestock businesses and a serious effect on the nation’s rural economy.

However, the European Commission seems determined to carry on with the scheme, which means that all 14.5 million sheep in the UK must be tagged by next January.

Almost 15 per cent of these are in the West Midlands, including Herefordshire, Shropshire and Worcestershire, and the task will be huge.

The EC says the move is designed to track every sheep at all times but farmers and the NFU say the present system of identifying sheep by numbers, recorded batch movements and restrictions on animal movements when necessary is more than adequate.

Farmers will have to buy a scanning machine costing up to £6,000 and masses of tags at between 50p and £1.50 each.

One type of electronic chip is similar to those in credit cards and fixed to a plastic ear tag, another is like one used for dogs and cats and put into the ear tag stem and a third type can go in an enclosed box on the back of the tag.

No chips go directly under the skin.

Oliver Cartwright, NFU spokesman, said it was fundamentally opposed to the individual movement recording of sheep but accepted the European Commission was determined to go ahead.

In the meantime Defra has started a consultation exercise with a June 23 deadline.

Farmers can call the NFU regional office on 01952 400500.