MEPs adopted a report for urgent EU action to support sheep and goat farming, including producer income support and marketing measures. In addition, the Commission's plans for compulsory electronic tagging of every animal should be rethought, says the House. The report was adopted with 492 votes in favour, 30 against and 9 abstentions.

The sheep and goat sectors in Europe are at a critical stage, argues EP rapporteur Liam AYLWARD (UEN, IE) in his own-initiative report. Swift measures need to be taken by the EU to preserve sheep and goat farming on an economically sustainable basis.

Mr Aylward raised several points in the debate and underlined: "The introduction of a new environmental sheep maintenance scheme would allow sheep farmers to be paid under on a per ewe basis, in recognition of the positive environmental attributes associated with the maintenance of sheep production, to be co financed by national and European Union funding."

The structural decline in the production of sheep and goats has significantly accelerated since the 2003 CAP reform. Of the total EU-27 sheep flock, 83 % is concentrated in six countries: Spain, the UK, Italy, Greece, Romania and France. However, sheep farming is also important for Portugal, the Netherlands and Ireland. The sheep flock dropped by 18% in the EU-15 between 1990 and 2006. Almost all countries were affected, except Spain. The UK flock in particular suffered from the foot-and-mouth crisis in 2001. In France numbers fell by 30%.

Electronic identification

Parliament calls on the Commission and Council of Agriculture Ministers to consider the possibility of introducing Community financing for the application throughout the European Union of the electronic identification system for sheep intended for 31 December 2009, because, even if this system will improve traceability, flock management and measures against fraud, it will create new administrative burdens and high costs for this sector, which is in crisis;

The report proposes a range of measures to help the sector. These include:

- new financial support to halt the decline in production, including a per capita sheep premium and special payments for traditional mountain breeds;

- greater flexibility in the introduction of the new EU electronic sheep tagging system (which is costly for producers): each Member State would decided whether to use such a system;

- a labelling system for sheepmeat products, with an EU logo to allow consumers to distinguish between EU and non-EU products;

- measures to promote consumption of lamb and goat, especially among young people;

- research into the supply chain and claims that supermarkets abuse their power to influence prices;

- research into better veterinary products to combat diseases such as blue tongue;

- a task force to oversee reform of the sector.