SHEEP TAGGING

That this House is opposed to the European Commission's proposal to force British sheep farmers to tag electronically and identify every single animal in the 30 million-strong national flock; recognises that the UK has more sheep than anywhere else in Europe; realises that farmers across the UK are already under enormous financial pressure and that these measures could have a crippling effect on the industry; believes that the proposals are unnecessary, disproportionate and not practicable; and calls on the Government to support the British sheep farming industry by making the strongest representation possible to the European Commission in order that these proposals may be abandoned.