§ Mr. MooreTo ask the Secretary of State for Scotland what plans he has to extend the electronic tagging scheme for cattle from the Borders area to the rest of Scotland; and if he will liaise with the Ministry of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food to extend the scheme elsewhere in the United Kingdom. [22276]
§ Mr. MacdonaldThe Borders electronic tagging scheme is an independent venture over which the Scottish Office has no direct influence. However, Scottish Office officials are in regular contact, and a Ministry of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food representative recently visited the project. The Agriculture Departments regard electronic tagging as a positive development, and while there are no plans to make it compulsory, the computerised Cattle Tracing System, due to be introduced in Great Britain next year, will accommodate electronic tags.