The Accidental Smallholder Forum
Livestock => Sheep => Topic started by: egglady on August 13, 2011, 09:49:49 am
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I think this is right but just want cleverer folk than me to confirm please:
Single tag for lambs due for slaughter under 12 months - any colour?
Double tags for breeding stock? What colours? Same or different?
And for missing tags what do i need? i seem to remember red but cant quite remember!
many thanks
laura
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For animals born 1 Jan 2010 or later and going for slaughter before 12 months
One non EID slaughter tag, containing only the flock number (cant use any old ones which might have had indiv nos on them). Any colour other than red (reserved for replacements), black (reserved for sheep with bolus ID). Ideally also not yellow as recommended to use that for EID tags only as its reserved for that in rest of UK).
If you later upgrade to keeping beyond 12 months this has to be cut out and full EID tags put in (red if not on holding of birth, colours as below if off holding of birth)
For animals born 1 Jan 2010 or later and kept over 12 months, one identifier must be electronic and the other a conventional ; both identifiers must have the same individual number - a zero then your unique flockmark followed by a five-digit indiv animal number. It's recommended but not compulsory (in Scotland) to use yellow for the EID tag, the other non EID tag can be any colour except red (reserved for replacements off holding of birth) or black(reserved for bolus tags)
Replacement identifiers applied off the holding of birth must be red (including replacement EID identifiers);
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You only need to use red replacement tags if you don't know the information on the old tag. I have bought replacement tags this year for any of mine with one or sometimes 2 missing - because I knew both the flock number and individual numbers for each sheep, I could get exact replacements in the colours I use for each year.
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Ah yes, didnt add that bit, thanks Rosemary, of course the suppliers do charge a nice price for those individual replacement pairs bless em...:-)
Personally if a sheep is on its holding of birth I see no traceability reasons for tagging it till it leaves. But being a rule following kind of girl I tag em all...
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In SCOTLAND the single slaughter tag IS EID, therefore animals born or identified after 31 December 2009 will always have one yellow EID tag in Scotland.
The first year I single EID slaughter tagged everything and upgraded the ewe lambs, this year I double tagged nearly everything and probably will do that in future.
http://www.scotland.gov.uk/Publications/2010/02/08120157/7 (http://www.scotland.gov.uk/Publications/2010/02/08120157/7)
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yes you are correct not sure where the 'non' came from as it was pasted straight from the booklet-
one (EID) for under 12 months to slaughter, 2 tags, (1 EID 1 none) for over 12 months.
But they do not have to be yellow in Scotland for EID, the rules say it is recommended to match the compulsory yellow colour for EID in England and Wales but not compulsory to be that colour.
To be honest I tag none until over 6 months old and then double tag everything. The rules are so complex it's just easier tho more expensive. We do choose to use yellow for EID and then I got candy pink for the other ear non EID one so the boys all look disgusted with their girly earrings!
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I'd be really surprised if anyone used a colour other than yellow. I haven't seen any going through the mart without a yellow tag.
The whole thing is utterly ridiculous and having different rules for different countries in the UK is ludicrous when there is cross border trading. Not to mention that the cost of it in Scotland is more than anywhere else because EID is mandatory. >:(
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when u double tag, is there a set side fir the eid tag to go in? ie left or right ear.
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Ah yes, didnt add that bit, thanks Rosemary, of course the suppliers do charge a nice price for those individual replacement pairs bless em...:-)
Shearwell supply replacement tags free for the life of the animal. I suspect you can get a discount if you are happy to forego the free replacements though... :D
I'd be really surprised if anyone used a colour other than yellow. I haven't seen any going through the mart without a yellow tag.
Down here, just south of the border, we've seen all combinations. Two orange. Two blue. One blue one pink. One green one yellow. Single non-yellow. Single yellow. Actually I haven't seen any red at all and I haven't seen any double yellow or double black. Apart from that I think I have seen everything ;)
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when u double tag, is there a set side fir the eid tag to go in? ie left or right ear.
I hope not :-)
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No there isn't but I always put the EID tag in the left ear, harking back to when tags were supposed to be in the left ear. Try and do all your lambs the same.
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I couldn't get yellow tags this year; so have to go with double blue. Rules are far too complicated for the likes of me.
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when u double tag, is there a set side fir the eid tag to go in? ie left or right ear.
YES it states in the rules the left ear standing at the rear of the sheep looking at the back of its head. SALLY bought shearwell tags last year got two tagging pliers instead of replacements free for life , lost two tags so far. AND so far i have not seen a redtag.
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Mine are all white - both the EID one and the non-EID. So far no comments from anyone, and I do not know which side I put the EID one in.... and yes all of mine (incl the goats) are double tagged with one EID, independently of when they are going. I have hassle enough as it is remembering all these different rules!
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when u double tag, is there a set side fir the eid tag to go in? ie left or right ear.
YES it states in the rules the left ear standing at the rear of the sheep looking at the back of its head. SALLY bought shearwell tags last year got two tagging pliers instead of replacements free for life , lost two tags so far. AND so far i have not seen a redtag.
Haha! I think of that as the right ear (I know Im wrong but still). so all mine have it in the wrong ear, noone has complained yet but Im sure its only a matter of time! will swap ears for the next lot.
Crazy system!
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ermmmmm...i think i'll just double tag everyone...sounds far far easier all round!
thank everyone
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IF you look inside your movement document pad there is a flow chart for tagging :wave: :wave: :farmer:
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I HAVE tags for mine but keep them in individual bags with their names on. The tups will be tagged as they get on the trailer to the abattoir. The others will get tags if / when they need them. All my three originals have ripped ears so I'm not tagging them to have that happen again. I did tag the two of the three white ewe lambs though - otherwise I can't tell the difference but I can identify all the coloured ones.
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A useful way of identifying young lambs, esp when you have quite a few, is to put in 'turkey wing tags' at birth. These are 1cm sq metal padlock-shaped tags, which can be sterilised and re-used each year, with whatever individual number you want put on them. Ours have 3 digits on. The pin is thin metal so the lambs barely notice them going in - no applicator needed. Very occasionally one will fall out, but rarely enough that it's not a problem. Then when you come to tag your lambs with the correct big tags at, say, 4 months, you have no problem in knowing who is who and if you wish you can cross-ref birth tags with official tags in your private records. If your lambs are just going for meat then of course this isn't necessary, but if you are breeding stock for registration it works well. I think they come from Roxan in Selkirk, Scottish Borders www.roxanid.com (http://www.roxanid.com) and he doesn't want to know they are for lambs ;) :turkey: I don't know what officialdom would think of this method but if it means accurate registration info and no torn ears then it's a winner for me.
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I HAVE tags for mine but keep them in individual bags with their names on. The tups will be tagged as they get on the trailer to the abattoir. The others will get tags if / when they need them. All my three originals have ripped ears so I'm not tagging them to have that happen again. I did tag the two of the three white ewe lambs though - otherwise I can't tell the difference but I can identify all the coloured ones.
If you get an unannounced visit from AH or Trading standards they may not see it that way... I would at least have one tag in per animal. I must say I use the SETtags from Shearwell and have yet to loose one - however on the bought in ewes (and goats) the tags have disappeared, none of them SETtags though.
One problem would be if your ewes escaped, then no-one would know who they belonged too, and they would immediately be destroyed. With tags in, they are usually traced and returned to their owner!
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Statutory Requirements.
1) All sheep born on or after 31st December 2009 must be identified according to the
current rules. Older sheep are covered by earlier legislation.
2) All sheep kept beyond 12 months of age must be identified with one electronic
tag/bolus and one visual tag.
3) Any sheep intended for slaughter before 12 months of age can be tagged with a single
slaughter tag which can be electronic or visual, although they may also be identified as
per point 2). However, in Scotland, any slaughter tag MUST be electronic.
4) In England and Wales, electronic tags MUST be yellow and visual tags must not be
yellow. Scotland is different in that although SEERAD recommend yellow as the colour
for EID tags, it is not compulsory and is also permitted as a colour for matching visual
tags.
5) Red is the colour reserved for replacement tags where the animal IS NOT on its holding
of birth. Where the electronic identification is a ruminal bolus, rather than a tag, the
visual tag MUST be black. Red and black are reserved for these purposes only.
6) If an animal is tagged with a slaughter only tag, and is still on its holding of birth, it
may be upgraded to full EID (double tagged) by removing the slaughter tag and inserting
one electronic tag and a marching visual tag.
7) Rules covering replacement tags are the same for animals born since the introduction
of EID and older animals. Where the sheep is on its birth holding, a lost tag can either
be replaced by a replacement identical to the lost tag OR the remaining tag can also be
removed and a new pair of tags applied. Where the latter option is used, the old and new
tag numbers must be cross referenced in your flock record book.
8) Replacement tags for animals not on their holding of birth are as per 7) except that
the tags MUST be red.
9) Where a sheep has lost a slaughter tag, it can be replaced with another. Where the
animal is not on its birth holding, the new slaughter tag must be red.
eg:
Full EID - UK number & Individual Number Double tags for animals kept for more
than 12 months.
Slaughter only - UK flock number only. Can be electronic or electronic. Must be yellow
if electronic.
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One problem would be if your ewes escaped, then no-one would know who they belonged too, and they would immediately be destroyed. With tags in, they are usually traced and returned to their owner!
I know what you mean - but the tags have just fallen out ;D Hopefully, they'll live up to the breed standard and not "do" escaping ;D
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One problem would be if your ewes escaped, then no-one would know who they belonged too, and they would immediately be destroyed. With tags in, they are usually traced and returned to their owner!
In these parts, each holding has its own paint mark; all sheep-keepers mark their sheep with 'branding fluid' which identifies the flock to other local sheep-keepers. BH's mark is any colour right shoulder, our neighbour to the east is blue stripe mid-left-flank, my previous farm was blue spot between the shoulder blades and the neighbour had two marks, red and green left shoulder. Up on the hills I think some farms still use ear notches; the old breed yearbooks gave the earnotches along with other flock details. Some farms still brand horns; my previous farm branded the farm initials into one horn and the year of birth into the other. And some farms use coloured tape on horns.
The point is, we really don't need DEFRA (or its Scottish equivalent) to tell us how to identify our sheep. We've been doing it without them for hundreds of years.
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sallyinthenorth what you have said is exactly why we need these rules and regs that is only local knowledge take a numptie from a non farming background in that area and he can tell you diddly squat about the sheep other than they are sheep
:farmer:
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sallyinthenorth what you have said is exactly why we need these rules and regs that is only local knowledge take a numptie from a non farming background in that area and he can tell you diddly squat about the sheep other than they are sheep
:farmer:
That's fine. He can ask one of the local farmers then. Simples.
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thanks everyone, i am sorted :)