§ Mr. ToddTo ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs what research she has collated on the use of electronic tags in cattle; and what progress she has made towards implementing such a system. [159484]
§ Alun MichaelThe Department has considered research results on the use of electronic identification both at a European level and small scale trials within the United Kingdom. We have also recently launched a pilot project on a minimum of 50 commercial sheep farms to assess how industry can make best use of electronic identification and to identify any issues that may arise. All these findings will be taken into account in the development of electronic identification for livestock. However, until the European Union agrees harmonised technical standards and implementation guidelines, the Government is unable to promote the widespread use of this technology given the current lack of standardisation.