From June this year Defra will be using data from the Cattle Tracing System (CTS) in the place of information from the annual June and December agricultural surveys.  This is part of our continuing efforts to minimise the form filling burden on the farming industry.

The decision to use administrative cattle tracing data was supported by a case prepared for approval by the EC Request from the UK to Use the Bovine Registers of Great Britain and Northern Ireland in Replacement of Statistical Surveys.  The case was prepared by a National Statistics Strategic Review Group which was widely drawn and included economists, statisticians and policy makers from Defra and the devolved administrations.  Industry views were represented by the Meat and Livestock Commission (MLC) who were able to endorse the move to using the new source.    The Welsh Assembly and Northern Ireland Department of Agriculture and Rural Development are also dropping cattle questions from their own surveys.  The Scottish Executive will decide on whether to follow suit later this year.

Overall the administrative source, although identifying a higher number of cattle (6 per cent, or 360 thousand, more in England in June 2006) shows very similar trends to the data collected from the June Survey.  Many other Member States have observed similar differences between their administrative and statistical sources.   The UK administrative data is believed to provide more reliable information than surveys as the coverage is more complete.  Additional confidence in the reliability of tracing data is provided by the mechanisms in place for cross checking and correcting anomalies. The results for June 2007 are to be published on 20 September.