Sheep EID is fast approaching!
3rd December 2009
ELECTRONIC IDENTIFICATION OF SHEEP FROM 31ST DECEMBER 2009
Identification
As from 31st December 2009 all sheep must be identified within 6 months of birth for intensively reared stock or 9 months of age for extensively reared stock (i.e animals not housed over night)
Sheep must either be: Double tagged/identified OR Single tagged/identified
Double Tagged/Identified – Usually for breeding purposes but can also go for slaughter:
If you intend to keep sheep beyond 12 months of age i.e after the 30th June the following year after birth then two identifiers need to be applied, at least one of the tags must be electronic and in any case both tags must bear the same individual number.
Electronic tags will have a 12 digit number stored on the microchip. The first 6 numbers will be the flock number with a zero at the front of it. The next 5 digit number will be the individual animal number. For double tagging (breeding) both tags (electronic & conventional) will have all these numbers printed visually on the tags.
For example the tag numbers might read the following:
UK 0724345 00099 = Flock Number is 724345 and the individual number is 00099
When you scan the electronic tag the UK part will appear as the number 826. Therefore the scanner will show the following: 826 0724345 00099
Single Tagged/Identified – For Slaughter purposes:
Lambs intended for slaughter within 12months of age (i.e up to 30th June following year of birth). These can be identified with a single conventional tag or an electronic ear tag. The conventional plastic tag will only bear the flock number. On the electronic ear tag you will only be able to see the flock number (not the individual number) but the microchip in the tag will hold an individual number as described for the breeding tags.
There are three options here for lambs intended for slaughter:
1. Double tagging as described above
2. A single UK conventional tag just showing the flock number, for example: UK 724345
3. A single Yellow electronic slaughter tag that only visibly shows the flock number but has the individual number stored on the microchip, for example UK 724345.
IMPORTANT TO NOTE: Lambs identified for slaughter with only a plastic conventional tag cannot then be upgraded to a double tagged breeding animal. Only slaughter animals with an electronic tag can be upgraded to a double tagged breeding animal, simply because it is only the electronic tag that stores the animals individual number. The plastic slaughter tag does not have an individual number therefore a buyer wishing to buy say ewe lambs out of a Green Fatstock market can only buy ewe lambs with an electronic tag.
Also if a buyer wishes to buy lambs in the market for further finishing or to hold over for a few days at their own farm until they are sent to slaughter and need to add further lambs to them from another market the buyer will have to individually record each sheep. If that particular buyer is moving say thousands of sheep a week they are not going to spend the time physically reading each and every conventional plastic ear tag . What will happen is that the buyers will start to discriminate against those lambs with conventional plastic tags as opposed to those with an electronic tag. In essence creating a two tier trade! Therefore we strongly suggest that producers use the ELECTRONIC SLAUGHTER TAG even though they will initially be slightly more expensive.
USEFUL WEBSITE ADDRESSES:
www.defra.gov.uk/foodfarm/farmanimal/movements/sheep/nextsteps.htm
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