A SHEEP EID drop-in day at Skipton Auction Mart proved a runaway success as farmers and their families turned out in their hundreds to learn about electronic sheep tagging and the potential pitfalls of non-compliance with the new legislation, introduced at the beginning of this year.

The event, organised jointly by Craven Cattle Marts and the NFU in Skipton, featured presentations from a number of high profile speakers.

Tom Fullick and John Royle, from NFU headquarters in Stoneleigh, gave livestock policy updates, while Ian Cairns, from DEFRA’s Farm Advisory Service (FAS), shone the spotlight on all-important cross compliance.

Pat Brophy, of DEFRA’s livestock and ID team, was another speaker, while Hilary O’Keife, projects manager with animal identification and management systems specialist Shearwell Data, gave live sheep demonstrations of electronic recording in the main sale ring.

EBLEX were also present, as well as ARAMS, the Animal Reporting and Movement Service, who are administering the electronic movement reporting system, along with the National Sheep Association (NSA).

A keynote aim of the initiative was to showcase the latest developments in tag reading, tag reading software and integrated handling systems.

Dedicated Rural Safer Neighbourhoods officers from North Yorkshire Police’s Craven Country Watch initiative also attended. They are now equipped with a scanner to enable roadside scanning and identification of sheep to help tackle rural crime more effectively.

Gisburn farmer Henry Rowntree, NFU Council Delegate for the West Riding, said “With the new regulations for recording and identifying sheep, we felt it essential that members understand exactly what is required.

“We know many farmers worry about failing an RPA inspection, particularly if they are unsure of the rules, as failure can prove very costly and ignorance is no defence.”

CCM’s general manager Jeremy Eaton said: “The NFU pulled together a really strong team of industry experts and suppliers for the event in a bid to take the wraps off electronic sheep tagging and make both the understanding and handling of the new data easier.”