The Farmers’ Union of Wales (FUW) has raised its concerns regarding proposed changes to the registration and reporting of livestock movement. In its response to the Welsh Government's 'Changes to Livestock Identification, Registration and Movement Reporting Consultation', the Union highlighted numerous areas where the proposals would lead to increases in costs and bureaucracy for farmers.
"These come at a time when the UK is agreeing trade deals with countries such as Australia and New Zealand where such burdens do not come close to what is already required of Welsh farmers, let alone what is proposed," said FUW Deputy President Ian Rickman.
Mr Rickman said the FUW fully recognises and supports the need to trace livestock effectively, but believes some elements of the proposals will add bureaucracy for farmers in an industry already overflowing with red tape.
