Livestock movements, identification and tracing: cattle - passports
- When to apply for a passport, and deadline
- Applying for passports
- Why all cattle must have a passport
- Reasons for the passport deadline
- Cattle without passports
- Regulations
- Implications for markets and abattoirs
- Exports
When to apply for a passport, and deadline
All cattle born in or imported into Great Britain since 1 July 1996 must have a valid cattle passport. This applies whether the cattle are male, female, dairy or beef.
Passports must accompany the animal in all movements.
All applications for cattle passports must be made to the British Cattle Movement Service (BCMS) within seven days of tagging. This gives all keepers a maximum of 27 days in which to tag and register the birth/apply for a passport.
It is very important that keepers of cattle ensure that passport applications are made within the time limits allowed. Late applications for passports will be refused unless there are exceptional circumstances to consider.
Applying for passports
For more information on cattle passports and how to complete an application please refer to the Keepers’ Handbook or visit the BCMS website.
Why all cattle must have a passport
Cattle passports were introduced in the UK from 1 July 1996 for cattle born or imported from that date to improve cattle identification and traceability. It also formed part of the Government’s strategy to eradicate BSE and to lifting the export ban imposed by the Commission in March 1996.
The passport is a movement document. It enables the movements of individual cattle to be traced throughout their life. Future buyers and inspectors can also see at a glance where an animal has been during its life. This level of traceability is vital to ensure consumer confidence in the safety and origin of their food.
Each passport provides a unique match to the identification and origin of the animal and lists the movements of that particular animal. The passport remains with the animal throughout its life.
Reasons for the passport deadline
EU Regulations govern the deadlines by which Member States must ensure identification and tracing rules are complied with. Regulations state that birth registration must be made within 7 days of the birth of the animal, or 7 days after the animal has been tagged. GB adopts the latter. Keepers are thereby given the maximum 20 days in which to tag their animals and a further 7 days after to register the birth and apply for a passport. There is no scope to extend the deadline beyond 27 days.
Accurate and early registration provides that every animal arriving at slaughter is the correct age (under 30 months old), is BSE free and therefore fit for human consumption. Without full certainty of the date of birth and the link between calf and mother this would not be possible.
Cattle without passports
An animal that has been refused a passport may not move from the holding unless under license and only then must go direct to a knackers yard or hunt kennel to be destroyed. Animals without passports may not be slaughtered for home consumption or go into the human food chain under any circumstance.
If you need a licence to move an animal please call the BCMS helpline for a movement licence for cattle.
Regulations
The requirements for passport application are set out in Article 6(1) of Regulation (EC) No 1760/2000 and Regulation 13 of the Cattle Identification Regulations, as amended. Late application procedures are set out in Regulation 13(4). The penalties for failing to comply are set out in Regulation 34 and can also be found in the section on law.
Implications for markets and abattoirs
Implications for markets
In the case of animals moving through markets with the new style cattle passport, markets are required to complete the movement summary section in the passport and notify the BCMS of a movement through the market. The movement can be notified electronically or by a movement card. In the case of animals moving through markets with the old green cattle passport, the market only needs to complete the movement summary section on the passport.
Implications for abattoirs
In the case of animals moving to abattoirs with the new style cattle passport, the abattoir is required to notify the movement of the animal onto their premises either electronically or using a movement card. They will also need to notify movements of animals leaving their premises if the animals move off without being slaughtered.
Abattoirs only need to complete the movement summary section of either the new style passport or the old style green passport if the animal moves off the premises without being slaughtered .
When animals with the new style cattle passport are slaughtered the slaughterhouse operator must complete the death details in the back of the passport. In the case of animals with the old style green cattle passport, the passport will be stamped at the slaughterhouse to indicate the date and place of slaughter. All cattle passports for slaughtered animals, whether the old or new style, will be returned to the BCMS via the Meat Hygiene Service.
Export
To ensure traceability is achieved and that cattle can be declared fit for export, animals must be correctly identified as follows:
- Eartags to identify animals individually
- Cattle passports
- Individual on-farm records kept on holdings
- Computer database Cattle Tracing System
Further information about the procedures to export is available on the international trade pages.
Page last modified:
30 November, 2007
Page published: 12 February, 2007