Agri Vehicles Insurance from Greenlands

Author Topic: A question of tagging.....  (Read 1944 times)

Paul and Caroline

  • Joined Apr 2014
A question of tagging.....
« on: December 06, 2017, 11:13:45 pm »
We have a flock of 10 Ewe lambs (pet/Cade/orphan) that we acquired from ourcommercial sheep farmer neighbour in April this year. They came to us properly ragged with one non-eid tag inserted by the farmer on the holding of birth.

We have now made the decision to keep 4 back to breed from next year and 2 will be going away as hogget in the summer.

My question is - do I need to go back to the farmer for electronic tags or do I obtain and then use my own tags? I have asked Animal Health and they really couldn't give me an answer - we are in Scotland so. Don't know if there are different rules south of the border.....

twizzel

  • Joined Apr 2012
Re: A question of tagging.....
« Reply #1 on: December 07, 2017, 07:57:11 am »
Every lamb should have an EID tag so if they came with a non eid tag then that’s wrong. As far as I can see on the Scottish gov site it’s the same as England so they would need double red tags with your flock number on which indicate retagging on your holding but not born on it. Then in your flock book record the old tag and the new tag, then that provides traceability to the holding of birth. It would be worth double tagging the hoggets too as summer would be pushing it for still using lamb single slaughter tags, their teeth will be up- I think the cut off point in English abattoirs is May. The Scottish gov site says double tag anything over 12 months of age.
http://www.gov.scot/Topics/farmingrural/Agriculture/animal-welfare/IDtraceability/SheepandGoats/sheepandgoattagging



shep53

  • Joined Jan 2011
  • Dumfries & Galloway
Re: A question of tagging.....
« Reply #2 on: December 07, 2017, 12:14:03 pm »
Exactly  as twizzle says . They will have eid slaughter tags which visually show the farmers flock number, in your holding register you put upgrade as the reason for change

Paul and Caroline

  • Joined Apr 2014
Re: A question of tagging.....
« Reply #3 on: December 07, 2017, 03:35:15 pm »
Every lamb should have an EID tag so if they came with a non eid tag then that’s wrong. As far as I can see on the Scottish gov site it’s the same as England so they would need double red tags with your flock number on which indicate retagging on your holding but not born on it. Then in your flock book record the old tag and the new tag, then that provides traceability to the holding of birth. It would be worth double tagging the hoggets too as summer would be pushing it for still using lamb single slaughter tags, their teeth will be up- I think the cut off point in English abattoirs is May. The Scottish gov site says double tag anything over 12 months of age.
http://www.gov.scot/Topics/farmingrural/Agriculture/animal-welfare/IDtraceability/SheepandGoats/sheepandgoattagging

Well this has totally confused me. This is only my second year of keeping lambs and the same farmer sold me my first set of lambs with non-eid tags which stayed with the lambs until slaughter in the Autumn. On the advice of Animal Health and the abattoir they were the only tags the lambs needed to have unless they were sold on or reached 12 months of age. I was advised that the only reason I would have to put my own tags in would be if the original tags went missing for whatever reason, and my tags had to be red replacement tags. I thought I had a handle on the requirements for animals over 12 months in that a second tag, this time electronic, must be inserted.... just not by whom. The advice I was given was that the original tags would stay with the animals from cradle to grave - if you see what I mean...... ???

twizzel

  • Joined Apr 2012
Re: A question of tagging.....
« Reply #4 on: December 07, 2017, 05:58:20 pm »

2 points to mention-

1) Every sheep must by law have an EID tag, regardless of whether it is a breeding female/male or a slaughter lamb. These are always YELLOW if inserted at the holding of birth. Then a non EID secondary tag if the animal is over 12 mths old. Your lambs must have had EID tags as otherwise the abattoir would have kicked up? 


2) The double tags must be matching- so if you were only supplied a lamb with the slaughter EID tag (with the flock number on the tag i.e. UK12345 and no individual number) then this must be replaced if keeping over 12 months of age with an EID tag and matching non EID tag. Both of these must be RED because you're replacing the tags on a holding that the animal was not born on. So you just cut out the old EID tag, record what is printed on it in your flock book, and then record the new tag number (holding and individual number e.g. UK12345 000123) next to it. Your flock book should have a page for tag replacement details and reason for replacement i.e. lost tags, worn tags, upgrading from slaughter tags to double breeding tags.


Sheep tagging legislation is hard to understand but once you've got your head round it it is simple. I had to get my head round it pretty quick when I took over the farm's Red Tractor assurance. This website below spells things out pretty simply. Disregard what your farmer friend has said as to be honest the number of farmers I've met who don't understand sheep tagging outweighs the number I've met who do !!!


http://www.fearing.co.uk/sheep-regulations-scotland

shep53

  • Joined Jan 2011
  • Dumfries & Galloway
Re: A question of tagging.....
« Reply #5 on: December 07, 2017, 06:57:57 pm »
Twizzel has given a  full explanation , strictly speaking all lambs should have double tags from birth  but we have been granted a derogation to allow a single eid slaughter tag  up until 12 mths of age and then they need  a matching pair of tags  .   EID slaughter tags have been compulsory in SCOTLAND since 2010 ,in ENGLAND  since jan  2015 , in WALES since  jan 2016
« Last Edit: December 07, 2017, 08:38:40 pm by shep53 »

 

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