[SallyintNorth]

Just one comment on timing of tagging - speaking as one who has spent the morning removing some tags from hoggs ears because the flies had been at them 

We are decided to be more diligent about tagging keeping ewe lambs in October - well before the cold weather hits but well after the fly season.  And / or to just spray heads with Crovect routinely in fly weather in young sheep recently tagged.

I rarely comment about tags because the whole thing makes me so mad 

[shep53]

I didn't know either that unused tags had to be recorded.
Do I have to record an unused tag every time the sequence is missed? (say if a tag was not applied correctly or broke etc?

        When you buy new tags the numbers are recorded on a national database, if you were then subject to  an audit  ,the official would have  a list of all tags bought ,  numbers of all sheep that have left the holding ,  you will have a record of all tags applied  and any tags still unused you can show them  , so all numbers should be accountable .  if you have an unused tag out of sequence this is not a problem since it can still be used later but a damaged tag can never be reused so must be recorded

[ladyK]

Thanks for all the clarifications and reassurances.
I'll still have a few more sleepless nights over that tagging business though...