Northern Ireland EID

The Department of Agriculture and Rural Development has reminded sheep producers that from Tuesday of this week, June 1, the movement rules for sheep changed. From that date, all sheep being moved off their registered holding must be tagged with an electronic (EID) tag.

This includes movements to shows and exports, and applies both to lambs born this year and older sheep, whose tags must be upgraded to EID before they move.

A movement document must be completed each time sheep are moved, but if the sheep are moving to a market or meat plant approved as a Central Point of Recording (CPR), tag numbers do not need to be recorded. The CPR will provide the keeper with a list of tag numbers, which he/she must retain with their copy of the movement document.

When buying sheep at a market a movement document, containing tag numbers for all sheep in the consignment, will be issued to the keeper. It is the keeper's responsibility to cross-reference all movement documents, for movements on and off their holding, in their flock register. To ensure that traceability is maintained, it is important that accurate records are kept. In the event of being selected for a cross-compliance inspection, keepers will be required to present CPR tag lists, movement documents and flock registers for checking.

It is also the responsibility of the keeper to check the accuracy of documents given to them by a CPR and, if necessary, to seek correction if they are incomplete or inaccurate. If the CPR cannot resolve the query, keepers should contact their DARD Regional Office to notify them of the discrepancy.

In anticipation of the changes, DARD and a number of local livestock markets are teaming up to provide training and demonstrations to help keepers comply with the new rules. Further details of these events can be found on the DARD website at www.dardni.gov.uk/news-dard-pa107-a-10-sheep-eid-get.

The introduction of sheep EID is an EU obligation under Council Regulation 21/2004 and requires the individual identity of sheep and goats born after 31 December 2009 to be recorded when they are moved. In order to allow this to be achieved for sheep, the Regulation requires them to be identified with an EID device and a conventional tag.

Although the Council Regulation is directly applicable here, the Sheep and Goats (Records, Identification and Movement) Order (NI) 2009 SR No. 411 defines offences, penalties, derogations and some additional provisions necessary to implement the Regulation here.

The objective is to make it easier to trace individual animals, especially in a serious disease outbreak situation, such as Foot and Mouth Disease.

Animals presently on farm have to be upgraded to the new identification system from 1 June 2010, but only when they move off the holding.