[arusse23]

Can someone explain to me in simple terms what action is required before slaughter in Scotland? I have 2 old spots that live on an equine farm. I keep reading about herd numbers etc for tags but I am unsure what I require for my particular situation?

Also, when my local butcher receives the meat from the abattoir will the carcasses be halved or whole? Therefore should I tag both ears or one. I need as much information as possible as the pigs need to go to the abattoir in the next week or so.

[robert waddell]

the easy part first  the carcases will be what you want but depends on the weight of your pigs they half them so that the staff are not hurting themselves    HSE requirement
you don't say which part of Scotland you come from      it does matter           if you are worried about identification you should slap mark         your tags are they plastic or metal again it does matter
now the difficult part         from the briefest of info    that you have written       where the pigs are they should have a cph number and you should have applied and received a pig herd number      both are a legal requirement      until you fill in these blanks there is no point in going further

[tizaala]

If you contact your local Trading standards office they will tell you how to obtain your CPH ( county parish holding ) number,
they will also give you the phone number of you local Animal Health Authority who will issue you with a herd number. you cannot even obtain tags without these numbers. You cannot take them to slaughter without some sort of ID, ie, paint mark ear tag or slap mark or tattoo. showing your  herd number for traceability.
If you are the owner of the land where you keep the animals then it is fairly straight forward, If you are renting the land then they will want to know the individual field locations and acreages etc, the cph number is then allocated to the person, not the land. It will take about a week to get the numbers allocated, allow about two weeks for the tags to be delivered.
You will also need to keep a stock record book that must be kept up to date because you can be inspected by trading standards at any time. the book is issued by trading standards who may charge you about £3.50 for it.
They might ask some awkward questions about where you got the pigs from and movement paperwork. Good luck with that one.
I hope this helps

[HappyHippy]

As others have said - you need either a tag with the herd number or a slapmark with the herd number. This is the herd number which relates to the CPH under which the pigs are registered. If you've not got one, phone animal health at Galasheils on 01896 758806 and they'll get one for you.
I use metal slaughter tags with the numbers engraved on to them (it was cheaper to buy tags & pliers than the slapmark kit initially  ) if you're unsure what the abattoir will accept phone them to ask (both Shots & Wishaw are happy with tags) but slapmarks are the only way to be 100% certain you're getting your own pigs back.
HTH
Karen 

[Rainyplace]

Hi, I had 3 pigs go for slaughter on the 25th Oct to a slaughterhouse in central Scotland. My pigs were not tagged but I have all relevant CPH no and pig herd no, just not got around to ordering and tagging them. I phoned for details on up to date requirements. I was able to send them with a temp paint mark but as of 1st November was told they would have to be tagged. Thankfully just got them booked in on time. The slaughter house then delivered them to my local butcher and at this moment I am waiting for a call to go and collect. Pork chops for dinner! Hope that helps.

[little blue]

rainyplace - were your pigs less than 12 months old then?

[Daisys Mum]

I  have 3 pigs going to slaughter on Monday and have just discovered that I only have 1 tag left (oops!), I am hoping that the ones I have ordered will be here in time.
Butcher is booked too so fingers crossed.
 I usually ask the abbatoir to half mine as it makes it a bit earier for the butcher.

[FiB]

Newby question here - Ive seen the slap mark equipment and it looks like a piece of torture equipment!!!!  Is it done when they are dead?   Need to decide ourselves what to use.....  Thanks for this thread.

[oaklandspigs]

Slapmark looks far worse than it is, and is done whilst they are alive.

Pigs skin is very thick, and there is a layer of fat beneath.  The slapmark only penetrates thse two layers - it is like a tatoo for a human.

Pigs also have what is called transitory pain, that is they resond to a pain stimulus, but then revert quickly to normal.

We find that if you slap pigs whilst they are eating, they jump, and almost immedaietly return to their food and carry on as normal.

The alternative is an eartag, which involves holding the pigs ear, and punching small hole in the ear with the tag.
Again the response is the same, but it can be more tricky to get right if you are inexperienced.

You will need to do one or the other is taking pigs off for meat.

[Rainyplace]

Little Blue - yes they were 7 months old, all stored in the freezer now and soooo delicious!

[FiB]

Slapmark looks far worse than it is, and is done whilst they are alive.

Pigs skin is very thick, and there is a layer of fat beneath.  The slapmark only penetrates thse two layers - it is like a tatoo for a human.

Pigs also have what is called transitory pain, that is they resond to a pain stimulus, but then revert quickly to normal.

We find that if you slap pigs whilst they are eating, they jump, and almost immedaietly return to their food and carry on as normal.


The alternative is an eartag, which involves holding the pigs ear, and punching small hole in the ear with the tag.
Again the response is the same, but it can be more tricky to get right if you are inexperienced. You will need to do one or the other is taking pigs off for meat.

Very informative thanks - one last question, is the ear tag 'thing/gun'  the same as what you use to tag sheeps ears?  If so that the way forward for us as we will have to get used to doing sheep next year.

[Anke]

The actual task of piercing the ear is the same, but you will need different applicators and tags. For pigs I use the metal slaughter tags, with their own tagger, and for the sheep is a different tagger and tags... but same procedure otherwise. I tag both ears, as pigs come back in two halfs.

Best time to tag pigs is when they are in the trailer ready to go, no room to escape! We load them the night before (straw in the trailer and usually a large bottle of cheap cider keep them happy overnight in there..., no food though)

[ambriel]

Do they drink it straight from the bottle or do they each have their own engraved pewter tankard?

I really need to get my finger out and organise Hamish's trip to the Dingwall abattoir soon. I've been persuaded that a slap marker is the way to go but they seem very expensive.

[Daisys Mum]

Tags arrived today so 3 pigs tagged and ready to go, have put the trailer into their run so hopefully they will be used to it and go in without any fuss on Sunday night ready for a 05.30 start on Monday morning.
Anke I have only put 1 tag in, didn't think about the other ear when they have been split, oh and we are enjoying the one we got from you she is delicious.

[arusse23]

Thanks very much for all the responses. Everything is much more clear now, I am buying the metal quicksilver tags from SFS just now. We already have a CPH number and herd number from previous use for cattle.....I am assuming this number will apply to the pigs?

The pigs are going to the abattoir in Ardrossan, then to my local butcher. Can anyone recommend a good smokehouse to send one of them to?

regards

Andrew