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		Lincolnshire sheep industry under threat Tuesday 1 April 2003 The future of Lincolnshire sheep farming is under threat from new proposals by the European Commission which could cost up to £100 million per year, across the UK, according to a leaked DEFRA estimate. The plan would cost Lincolnshire farmers between £13,000 and £16,000 per annum. Last month, DEFRA confirmed that the average income per farmer in the UK was £11,136. The proposal demands that every one of Britain's 37 million sheep must have an identical tag inserted in each ear, containing a fourteen-digit number. The number and each animal movement must then be recorded manually on a paper form. Speaking from Brussels, East Midlands MEP Roger Helmer, said: "Yet again, British farmers will have to pay for the implementation of unnecessary European schemes. The current system in the UK has all the necessary elements of traceability but is far less expensive. I would like to see a Commission official, on a rainy day, trying to note down all the numbers from his herd of sheep - they obviously have no idea what practical farming is all about. After foot and mouth, we all understand the need to trace the movements of sheep, but the last thing our farming industry needs is more paperwork and more bureaucracy. We will be doing everything possible to ensure that British farmers are not burdened by further costs from Brussels."