Electronic identification (EID) ear tags become compulsory for all calves born from January 2027. The tags, which contain a microchip which stores a unique 15-digit animal identification number, can be read from up to 1m away, in the dark or when dirty via an EID reader. The scheme is designed to help improve biosecurity by allowing faster, more accurate tracing of livestock movements in the event of a disease outbreak. The tags will need to be applied as one of the two required ear tags from the new year onwards. Cattle already tagged will not need to be re-tagged, the scheme only applies to newborns.
Whilst we are on the topic of tagging calves, especially now they are out at grass – please remember that calves need to be registered with BCMS by the day the calf is 27 days old. Registering after this deadline is a more complicated process requiring DNA testing of the dam and calf to prove parentage so there is definitely an incentive to getting everyone registered in time.
