Changes to cattle identification and traceability

Following a meeting of the UK farming unions’ livestock board chairs in Scotland, the organisations have underlined the need for any changes to cattle identification to utilise new and effective technologies so livestock and dairy businesses can fully benefit.

At the meeting, the UK farming unions agreed that there are real potential benefits of introducing bEID (bovine Electronic Identification), from efficiency and animal health and welfare gains to improving the health and safety of livestock handlers.

The board chairs recognised the different technologies available for bEID introduction in each devolved nation.

However, there was consensus that the unions must continue work with future governments to ensure livestock movement systems work for livestock and dairy businesses across all nations.

This comes as English farmers await Defra’s response to the consultation on cattle identification, registration and movements, which has been paused due to the general election, and as Scottish farmers are being encouraged to submit their responses to the Cattle Identification and Traceability consultation which is currently live.

New bEID technologies were demonstrated as part of the visit at Upper Nisbet, Jedburgh, as part of the pioneering research and development carried out in Scotland by ScotEID.

‘Benefits are clear’

NFU Livestock Board chair David Barton said: “The benefits of transitioning towards bEID tags are very clear – reducing transcription errors, improving the health and safety for those of us who handle cattle, and driving forward innovation and productivity.

“I have seen first-hand the benefits that UHF tags can offer the sector, and as a beef farmer I do not want these technologies to be overlooked and ignored.

“Future governments will need to seriously consider what is best for the long-term future of modern farm businesses, and I believe access to both Ultra-High Frequency and Low Frequency, mandated at the same time, should be part of that.”

Read the farming unions’ statement in full.

The NFU has responded to Defra's consultation in support of the introduction of EID tags for cattle, as well as the implementation of a multi species LIS (Livestock Information Service) to replace existing services. 

The response expressed support for the numerous benefits for farmers and the wider supply chain that will support traceability, reduce errors and improve the health and safety of livestock keepers/handlers and the livestock themselves. 

The NFU also gave support to the use of UHF (Ultra-High Frequency) technology due to the numerous benefits it offers when compared to LF (Low Frequency) tags. 

The LIS combined with UHF BeID offers the best option to deliver accurate traceability of cattle, safer cattle handling, and supports other technological advancements such individual animal management in a wider variety of situations, because of the ability to read multiple animals at greater distances simultaneously.

UHF tags will offer many benefits for those carrying out official visits to farms, markets and abattoirs whether this is to check compliance with movement reporting, routine TB testing or responding to a more significant disease outbreak. Having the ability to read tags faster and at greater distance offers huge time savings.

In addition, the NFU called for alignment across all nations of Great Britain for the rollout of bovine EID for new registrations and that digital services in each country of GB actively facilitate trade. 

The response also calls on Defra to consult industry on the tag frequency/technology that is ultimately adopted following on-farm bovine EID trials. 

NFU members can sign in and read the full response to the consultation at: NFU response – Cattle identification, registration, and movement consultation

The deadline to submit a response to this consultation has now passed. 

Defra aims to publish the results in 2024.

The consultation from Defra centres around the introduction of the LIS (Livestock Information Service) for cattle and the use of BeID (Bovine Electronic Identification) tags. 

Bovine eID / BeID (Bovine Electronic Identification)

Bovine eID or BeID stands for “Bovine Electronic Identification” and is the new proposed system to identify cattle. These would replace the traditional ear tags used on cattle.

It is hoped that a new electronic system would promote safer handling of cattle, reduce errors in the reporting of data and lead to potential improvements to farm productivity and animal husbandry.

Defra proposes that all new-born calves are tagged with a BeID. For calves with BeID tags, keepers will no longer need to keep, locate, and manually update paper cattle passports. It is hoped this will also allow faster processing through the supply chain.

Proposals to potentially retag the existing herd with Bovine eID tags are under consideration and will be communicated later.

Under the proposals, either LF (Low Frequency) or UHF (Ultra High Frequency) technology RFID (Radio Frequency Identification) could be used. The tags would have an RFID microtag embedded into them which would carry the same number printed on the tag and forms the official identification.

Technical information on BeID

To successfully introduce bovine eID, the current numbering string used for cattle identification would change to a WYSIWYG (What you see is what you get) number, compliant with ICAR (International Committee for Animal Recording) and ISO (International Organisation for Standardisation) standards.

To adhere to these standards, the identification numbering string for bovine animals is either the two-letter alpha country code (GB) or the three-digit numeric country code (826) and a unique code for the animal consisting of a maximum 12 digits. There will be no check digit, as is currently the case on current cattle tags.

The new ID number will consist of a zero prefix, a six digit herd number, followed by a five-digit identification number that starts at 70000.

This will provide 30,000 available numbers per holding. When a keeper reaches the maximum tag number of 99999, a new herd number will be allocated to them, and the identification number will start again at 70000.

Table 1: A table showing the numbering format for newborn calves written on the tag.

Table 2: A table showing the numbering format held on an BeID chip.

C = Country coder, S = Series number, H = Herd number, A = Animal number

Livestock Information Service

The LIS (Livestock Information Service) is an existing IT platform that provides digital traceability data for sheep, goats, and commercial deer. Under the proposals of Defra’s consultation, cattle will be added to this platform.

It is hoped that this platform will avoid any duplication of data that is included in both holding registers and the current CTS, that it will help to “protect public and animal health, maintains consumer confidence, and delivers more focussed support for the livestock industry”.

Information held on the LIS will be accessible in “close to real time” by anyone authorised to do so. This will remove the need to keep physical passports for electronically identified cattle. It will be possible to amend or correct records in certain circumstances.

The LIS will enable keepers to record whole movements, with both starting location and end destination. This will be reported by the sending keeper, who will provide the point of departure and destination CPS (County Parish Holding) numbers, individual ID numbers, and date of movement.

When cattle arrive at their destination, the receiving keeper will check the details and confirm the move has taken place. If there are any issues, the receiving keeper will have opportunity to amend, query, or decline the movement report.

The LIS will also give keepers the option to pre-notify movements and report additional information on transport, such as haulier and the registration number of the vehicle used to transport the cattle. It is hoped this will all allow keepers to provide details of planned moves at a time that suits them. 

Further detail on the proposals outlined by Defra can be found at: GOV.UK | Changes to Bovine Identification, Registration, and Movement in England - Consultation document

This consultation is open to the public in England, with Defra particularly interested to hear from those who may be directly affected by the proposals, including, but not limited to livestock keepers, farmers, livestock markets, abattoirs, collection centres, fallen stock operators, trade associations, ear tag suppliers, and hauliers, as well as non-governmental organisations with an interest in cattle.

The consultation aims to reduce the number of relevant regulations from 13 to just one piece of regulation.

This will help industry understand what is required and will help to reduce errors. Defra want to introduce a more proportionate system of enforcement so that livestock keepers are not penalised for genuine mistakes, where these can be corrected.

Defra propose to bring the current regulations and retained EU legislation into one comprehensive regulation. This will use clear language helping livestock keepers to understand the requirements and reduce the number of offences and deadlines.

Feedback was sought from NFU members throughout October and November 2023 through an online survey, a member webinar and a presentation at NFU Council on 17 October.