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Traceability is name of the game for a premium
FARMERS are being invited to set aside their prejudices against electronic identification (EID ) of livestock and other produce and make sure they are represented at a Leeds conference which will promote it as a good idea.
Robyn Hulme, the Suffolks breeder who has defended EID for sheep in these pages, will be one speaker and another will be representative of British Pig Executive Andrew Knowles speaking about the lessons to be learned from the recent crisis over contamination of some Irish pork.
The conference on food traceability has been organised by AIM UK, the association for automatic identification and mobile data capture, a trade body which has been based in Halifax since it was set up to represent the bar-coding industry 25 years ago.
The conference will be at the Royal Armouries, Leeds, on March 10, from 1.30pm to 5pm. Delegate rate of 125 plus VAT includes car parking and a DVD of the proceedings.
Communications manager for AIM Andrew Callaway said: "Consumers want to be confident of the safety and quality of the food they buy.
"They want to know what's in it and where it comes from. Traceability systems allow producers to provide the answers and improve their own processes and efficiency at the same time.
"Companies that cannot demonstrate traceability and comply with legislation risk losing their existing markets and will be unable to exploit new opportunities. Inevitab-ly there is a cost in implementing traceability but it need not be prohibitive and there are sources of funding available. By contrast, the price of not having traceability could be devastating.
"In fact, implementing traceability presents companies with real business opportunities, especially when attempting to sell-in specialist regional products to large retailers or exploiting export markets. The fact that provenance can be proved can turn an ordinary product into a premium one."
More details can be found at the conference website, www.ID09.co.uk. Email amanda.brooke@aidc.org or phone 01422 399495.
n Meanwhile, the National Sheep Association is calling on farmers not to turn out and demonstrate when a European Commission delegation tours the country next week to talk about EID.
NSA chief executive Peter Morris said there was "a lot of interest" in the visit but protests should be aimed "not at bureaucrats but at politicians". He said the NSA would accompany the delegation to make sure it heard all the arguments.
He said: "This visit is welcome as it shows that the EU are interested in trying to understand more about the potential impact this regulation will have on the UK sheep industry.
"The officials will be left under no illusions about the level of concern and anger that exists but these people do not have decision-making power. The only people who can now overturn these regulations are politicians."
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Saturday 26 May 2012
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