SHEEP farmers have been urged to electronically tag their “historic” flock before January 2015 or risk lower prices.

The Livestock Auctioneers Association (LAA), National Sheep Association (NSA), and NFU have today issued a joint warning.

They have advised farmers to double-tag their historic sheep flock to maximise their selling options when moving them off their holding after January 1.

The industry won a compromise from the EU and Defra allowing the historic ewe flock a dispensation from the new regulations ushering in EID.

But the dispensation finishes at the end of the year, and all breeding sheep moving to another farm, holding, or anywhere other than direct to slaughter will need to have their tag number recorded.

The three bodies have said that without EID it will be practically impossible to physically read and write down a 16-digit number from the potentially scuffed and worn-out ear tags of thousands of ewes across the country.

Marts sell 85 per cent of cull sheep, and following their sale, about half move to non-abattoir holdings.

Chris Dodds, LAA executive secretary, said: “It’s unrealistic to ask vendors, auction market staff and buyers to read and record all ear tag numbers without electronic identification.”

He believed some auctioneers may well announce at the time of sale that such pens of non- EID tagged ewes could only be purchased and moved directly to slaughter.

“This will obviously have an impact on the price achievable for them, so it’s in the interest of all sheep producers to electronically re-tag their older ewes,” said Mr Dodds.

If they do not, he said, the normal uplift in prices in June and July created by Ramadan could well be negated next year.

Phil Stocker, NSA chief executive, said: “If you think double- tagging will aid movement recording and selling options in the future, take the opportunity when handling them at weaning or tupping time to put in new tags and note them in your flock register.”

Charles Sercombe, NFU National Livestock Board chairman, said: “To make life easier, it’s important from the end of the year that older sheep are electronically tagged before they are moved, especially if sold for further feeding.”