§ The Earl of Selborneasked Her Majesty's Government:
What research is being undertaken to assess how the effectiveness of electronic tagging schemes for cattle compared with ear tagging for the purpose of monitoring animals from birth through farm sales and cattle markets to slaughter, thereby assisting disease surveillance in British cattle.
§ Baroness TrumpingtonThe Meat and Livestock Commission intends to start a trial of commercially available products this autumn. In October, a seminar arranged by the European Commission will be reviewing the research and development of electronic tagging systems. These events will greatly assist in any evaluation of such systems for disease surveillance purposes.