PLANS to change the way lambs are aged in the UK have been delayed because of Brexit.

Defra has confirmed the plan to use a cut-off date of June 30 to age lambs instead of checking teeth, due to be implemented this year, has been delayed due to Brexit uncertainty and negotiations around the UK's third country listing status.

Richard Findlay, NFU livestock board chairman, said it was unacceptable that the commitment Defra ministers gave in November last year that the new regulation would be in place for this season had been overturned, with no indication as to when it will be implemented.

He said: "The delay in implementation is a huge setback for the UK sheep sector and Defra's failure to follow through on its commitment is extremely frustrating."

The industry spends £24 million a year on dentition checks which would be unnecessary if a cut-off date was used.

He said: "It comes on the back of another Defra announcement that costs of £7.50 per sample for testing fallen stock of cattle over 48 months for transmissible Spongiform Encephalopathy (TSE) will be passed on to the industry from April this year.

"While we understand Defra's concerns about negotiating the UK's status as a third country, and the NFU has always said that maintaining free and frictionless trade with the EU is vital for the British food and farming industry, it should never prevent necessary domestic regulatory changes from taking place, especially when the European Commission had already indicated it would be happy for the UK to age lambs using a cut-off date."

Phil Stocker, chief executive of the National Sheep Association (NSA), said that in December Defra had said the change would be introduced in Spring this year. "We were told a risk assessment had been done, everything had been cleared and, as the weeks progressed, we were led to believe all we were waiting for was FSA (Food Standards Agency) to agree implementation procedures."

Mr Stocker said the U-turn came just days after former farming minister George Eustice had resigned from the Cabinet and raised the question of trust in ministers.

"Anyone still thinking that departure from the EU will result in freeing agriculture from nonsensical rules and regulations should think again," he said. "We have been told now that formal legislative change is needed and this will require a consultation to take place. This is the first time we have heard anything about this, and leads me to conclude there is no way this can take place this season."