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Sheep identification and movement

Electronic identification (EID) for sheep was introduced on 31 December 2009, together with individual recording for sheep and goats.

Plain English guidance on the identification and movement of sheep can be found on the Business Link website.

Latest news

14 March 2012 - On 27 February Defra wrote to registered sheep and goat keepers to explain why it has not been possible to  agree an EID record keeping tolerance. The situation is being kept under review.

6 December 2011 – Defra won the agreement of EU Member States to delay the date from which sheep keepers have to include individual tag numbers from sheep identified before 2010 (the ‘historic flock’ which do not have to have electronic tags) on movement documents.  A news release   has been published. Instead of having to do this from 31 December 2011 this will not now be required until 31 December 2014.  In the meantime keepers must continue to report the movements of these sheep on a batch basis. This will save British sheep farmers between £4-11.5m over the next three years. A poster and leaflet (PDF) has been sent to stakeholder bodies.

On 28 March – 7 April 2011 the EU’s Food and Veterinary Office conducted a fact finding mission to the UK as part of a programme of visits to Member States to gather information on the implementation of EID. A report is expected to be published in early 2012.

What keepers have to do

The following is a summary of what keepers must do when tagging and moving their sheep.

Identification Tag within 9 months of birth (6 months if kept housed overnight), or before they leave the holding of birth if sooner.
Breeding animals

  • Double tag – including one EID
Lambs

  • One batch tag – (EID optional) Consider carefully how to tag your slaughter lambs as markets and other customers may prefer them to have a single EID batch tag.
A list of approved UK tags is on the RPA website.
Holding register Keep a separate register for each holding (each CPH)
  • Record movements of animals born from 2010 – individually – unless identified with a slaughter tag
  • Double tagged animals born before 31 December 2009 continue to be batch recorded in the holding register
Record details of replacement tags, and cross reference if appropriate.
Movement document (AML1) Complete one each time animals move to a different holding (CPH)
From 1 January 2011 include individual tag numbers for animals born from 2010 – unless:
From 31 December 2014 Include individual tag numbers for animals born before 2010 – unless moving direct to slaughter
Movements within a farm business (no change of keepership) To land with 5 miles of main holding and with same CPH - No need to record (in the register) or report (on a movement document).
To any land with a different CPH - Record on a batch basis for all sheep – if – the keepership or ownership is unchanged otherwise they must meet the reporting requirements from the above dates if individually tagged.
To adjacent land with a different CPH If moving frequently to/from the different CPH, on foot, without mixing with other livestock –record the CPHs and frequency of moves in the holding register only.

Publications

Sheep and goat holding register

To protect the health of your livestock and to make it easier to trace your animals, you must keep a register of the animals on your holding. This register holds information about your holding, tags and replacement tags, and all movements of sheep and goats.

Tags

Keepers should identify their sheep properly and not use old stocks of tags.

Movements

How EID works

EID videos

Slaughter houses

Sheep Identification Annual Inspections

Unannounced farm inspections are carried out to check keepers are complying with sheep identification and record keeping requirements. They cover:

  • 3% of registered holdings comprising at least 5% of sheep and goats.
  • The holdings are selected by risk analysis, the criteria for which are set out in the Regulation 1505/2006.

An annual report on the results must is sent to the Commission by 31 August each year. Recent results are below:

Further background on the inspections isincluded at Section 11 of the guidance for keeper’s booklet and can also be found on the Business link website.

Sheep and Goat Annual Inventory

Keepers are required to keep an annual inventory in their holding registers and complete an annual inventory form sent to them in late November. Summary details of all sheep (including rams and lambs) and goats under the farmer’s keepership must be recorded on this document. Failure to send the form back can result in an increased risk of an on farm inspection.  The purposes for which the Inventory data is used are set out in full in a data protection statement (PDF 470 KB). For further information on the inventory call 01904 455284 or email surveys@defra.gsi.gov.uk.

Legislation

The EC Regulation on the identification and registration of sheep (and goats) was adopted in 2003 and provided for EID to be introduced from 1 January 2008. A two year implementation delay was secured until 31 December 2009 and other concessions were secured which have considerably reduced the movement recording burdens, in particular with regard to how we deal with individual recording of non-electronically identified animals. EID is not mandatory for sheep which are intended for slaughter within 12 months of age (although an electronic slaughter batch tag can be used and may be preferred by many customers).

The requirements on sheep identification and tracing are governed by several pieces of EU legislation.

Regulation made by EU Council and Parliament

Council Regulation (EC) No 21/2004 is the principal legislation covering the identification and registration for sheep & goats. The EU Commission’s technical guidelines for electronic identifiers and readers are:

  • Part 1 – application, reading, recovery of identifiers (PDF 1.36 MB).
  • Part 2 – EID and readers specifications (PDF 362 KB)

UK Legislation

The requirements are enforced in England through The Sheep and Goats (Records, Identification and Movement) (England) Order 2009. UK Devolved Administration’s equivalent legislation is available on the Government’s Legislation website

 

Policy Objectives and implementation costs for electronic identification (EID)

More historic documentation on economic impact assessments on the use of EID in sheep are available on request.

Facts and figures

The UK is the largest EU sheep producer (c.31 million incl. 15½ million slaughter lambs). With our unique stratified production system the UK moves animals more frequently than elsewhere in the EU (c.60 million animal movements – c.2-3 million batch movements).

Page last modified: 14 March 2012