Irish sheep farmers furious over EID mandate

On May 2, the Irish Minister for Agriculture, Michael Creed, announced that all Irish sheep must be electronically identified by October 2018. Lambs for slaughter will require one electronic ear tag (EID), and older sheep will require a conventional ear tag and an EID tag or bolus. Previously, slaughter lambs did not need EIDs. Irish sheep farmers expressed outrage at the 2Ђ million ($2.36 million) being forced on them, according to GlobalMeatNews.com. The Irish Ministry of Agriculture’s announcement of the move noted that monies for a one-off, 50Ђ per farmer subsidy would be acquired to offset the costs of the requirements. — WLJ