FARMER JOINS LIB DEM PROTEST AGAINST SHEEP TAGGING PROPOSALS

10.57.21am BST (GMT +0100) Sun 31st May 2009

Jim Hume, Liberal Democrat MSP for the South of Scotland, welcomed a South of Scotland farmer and part of his flock to Parliament today as he and colleagues campaigned against European plans that will require all sheep to be electronically tagged.

Scottish Liberal Democrat leader Tavish Scott and Environment Spokesperson Jim Hume were joined by farmer, Kelvin Pate, who brought two ewes and their lambs to the Scottish Parliament ahead of a Libdem Members' debate on sheep tagging.

Jim Hume said:

"These sheep tagging plans are unnecessary, unworkable and will push farmers and crofters out of sheep production.

"The EU's Agriculture and Fisheries Council met on Monday, but they didn't discuss tagging. The Scottish Government wasn't even there. Richard Lochhead needs to explain why.

"We need to know why Scottish Ministers weren't in Brussels arguing the case for Scottish farmers."

The MSP continued:

"Anyone with even a rudimentary understanding of sheep farming in Scotland can see the impracticalities of what is being proposed.

"Unless the system of electronic tagging is made significantly more flexible, it is difficult to see how many farmers will have a long term future.

"Farmers in Scotland have endured a tough couple of years, and the last thing the sheep industry needs is an expensive and impracticable scheme like this.

"It's deeply disappointing that Scottish Ministers have failed to stand up for Scottish farmers' interests in Europe."