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Livestock movements, identification and tracing: cattle identification inspections



Cattle Identification Inspection (CII)

On-the-spot checks are commonly referred to as Cattle Identification Inspections (CII). Inspections are carried out to check keepers are complying with all cattle identification and registration requirements

Commission Regulation (EC) No 499/2004 sets out the detailed rules for “on-the-spot” controls. The Regulation requires that:

  • 10% of registered holdings in each EU Member State (MS) are inspected annually (5% if the MS has a fully operational computer database)
  • the holdings are selected by risk analysis, the criteria for which are set out in the Regulation. The inspections must be unannounced – maximum 48 hours notice
  • an annual report on the results must be sent to the Commission’s DG SANCO by 31 August each year

Results from the last five inspection programmes are available below:


How are farms selected for inspection?

The CII selection for GB is undertaken by the Rural Payments Agency (RPA) through a predominately risk based criteria. The selection takes into account a number of factors - such as time since last inspection, number of cattle on holding, errors found in previous inspections etc.

Keepers should be aware that they are likely to be inspected more frequently if problems were found during a previous inspection.

What is the keeper expected to do?

The keeper will be responsible for presenting all animals, passports and records on the holding for physical inspection. The keeper will be asked to provide suitable handling facilities and to assist with gathering up the animals for inspection. Refusing or obstructing an inspection is an offence.

At the end of the inspection the inspector will ask the keeper to sign a report form and offer the opportunity to comment. A copy of this form will be handed to the keeper.

What will the inspector do?

The inspector will check:

  • farm records to determine which animals are present on the holding
  • that births, movements and deaths have been correctly recorded
  • that all animals are correctly tagged, and match the animal’s passport
  • that all passports are present and correct
  • that deadlines for identifying cattle and keeping records have been met
  • that all passports for animals disposed of have been passed on to the new owner or returned to the British Cattle Movement Service (BCMS)


How long will the inspection take?

This depends on the size of your holding, the number of cattle involved and the quality of your record keeping. Records that are set out clearly and accurately will significantly reduce the inspection time. The aim will be to carry out the inspection quickly and efficiently with the minimum disruption.

Follow-up action that may be necessary if errors are found

If errors are found during the inspection, it may be necessary to impose a movement restriction on some or all of the cattle. The restriction prohibits the movement of animals from and onto the holding. BCMS will work with keepers to correct any errors found and will be responsible for lifting the movement restriction in part or in full. In most cases the restriction will remain until a follow-up inspection take places.

Further information on movement restrictions, notice to identify unidentified cattle can be found in the enforcement section.

Penalties

Most keepers follow the rules for identification and record keeping. However, there are some keepers that do not. Defra reserves the right to prosecute any keeper believed to be deliberately breaking the cattle identification rules. If the courts find that a keeper is guilty of an offence they may impose severe penalties, including fines of up to £5000 for each offence committed. In the worst cases, the Courts can also impose prison sentences.

The penalties for failing to comply are set out in Regulation 34 and can also be found in the section on law.

Inspections by other enforcement agencies

Local Authority (LA)/Trading Standards Officers have responsibility for enforcing the cattle Identification and registration requirements. In addition to farm visits, LAs also carry out checks on markets and roadside stops.

 

Page last modified: 30 November, 2007
Page published: 12 February, 2007

Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs