defra logo
|
 
Start of content

Registering Cattle

Cattle identification and registration

Cattle identification and traceability are integral to both disease control and maintaining consumer confidence in farm produce.

For this reason there are required standards for identifying and controls over the movement of cattle to prevent and trace the spread of any disease.

The sections below provide details on some of the key requirements in cattle identification and movement, covering:

A summary of the main requirements can be seen on the RPA’s Easy reference sheet for cattle ID and tracing.

New herds

Whether you keep one animal as a pet or a commercial herd you need to be registered. Before moving cattle to your holding you need to apply to the appropriate organisation shown below for a County Parish Holding (CPH) number for the land where the livestock will be kept.

Once you have your CPH you can move the livestock to your holding if they comply with the conditions of the General Licence for the Movement of cattle and its annex A-C (PDF 50KB). Your local Animal Health office will need to register your stock and send keepers a registration document containing your personal details, CPH number and a unique Defra herd mark.

Back to top

Tagging

All cattle born after 1 January 1998 must have a Defra approved eartag in each ear (double tagging), each showing the same unique number. Tags must be fitted at the same time, within 20 days of birth, with the exception of dairy animals, which must have at least one of the tags fitted within 36 hours of birth. All cattle must be tagged before they leave the holding of birth.

Since 1 January 2000, ear tags must have a specific numeric format. They contain the crown logo, country code, herdmark, individual animal number and check digit.

There are two types of ear tag:

  • Primary - a yellow, plastic, two-piece ear tag which meets the conditions set by article 3 of Commission Regulation (EC) No. 262/97
  • Secondary - a large plastic secondary ear tag can be printed to allow space for management information. This can include details relevant to a particular animal, such as visual identification, its name or different unique number. This is useful so you don't need to check that the herd mark and single number check digits match the animal's number, e.g. when administering medication. There is no minimum size requirement for secondary tags, so button or metal tags may be used. Although a microchip is not part of the official requirements, you can use a microchip in the secondary tag to allow electronic identification of the animal.

It is a requirement that all cattle display at least one primary tag plus either a second primary tag or a secondary tag in the other ear.

An example of an approved ear tag is available on the Defra website.

You can order ear tags from local agricultural merchants or Defra-approved suppliers. A list of approved ear tag suppliers is available on the RPA website. The manufacturer will notify the Government’s computerised Ear tag Allocation System (ETAS) of the farmer’s order and will be allocated sequential numbers for each tag ordered using the farmer’s individual herd mark and cross referencing to the unique farm address code (CPH). This process ensures that tags cannot be duplicated.

When you apply for your cattle's tags, the Rural Payment Agency’s British Cattle Movement Service (BCMS) will automatically post your passport application forms. If you use electronic methods to apply for cattle passports you may opt not to receive paper forms.

Lost or illegible tags as soon as possible, but no later than 28 days after you notice the loss or illegibility.

For more detailed rules see:

Tagging imported cattle
You must handle imported cattle as follows:

  • If they are from another European Union (EU) member state, they will already be double tagged so you do not need to retag them unless they lose an ear tag
  • If they are from outside the EU, you must retag each animal within 20 days of it passing the veterinary checks.

Back to top

Movement restrictions on cattle born or reared in the UK before August 1996

All cattle born or reared in the UK before 1 August 1996 are subject to movement restrictions as an extra precaution against meat from these older cattle entering the food chain (milk from such animals can be sold for human consumption).

All such cattle have been restricted, under TSE regulations, to the premises where they were located. These older cattle have no commercial value when they are no longer able to produce calves and records show that relatively few of them are moved from their holdings.

Keepers wishing to move such animals must submit a movement licence application form, completed by both parties involved in the movement, to the Animal Health Specialist Service Centre, Worcester.

Application forms are also available from the Specialist Service Centre. The licence must be obtained before the animal is moved from the restricted premises. Each application will be considered individually. Movements to markets or dealers will not be permitted. Animals moved will be served with a further restriction notice at their new premises of destination. Owners must, in the normal way, both continue to report all movements and deaths to BCMS and (unless the holding is on an exempt island) send any fallen cattle to an animal by-products premises approved to take samples for BSE testing. They also must keep records of cattle movements and deaths up to date.

For further information see news release dated 8 March 2011.

Back to top

Farm Records

If you keep cattle you will need to maintain a herd register, recording the details of every birth, movement on and off the holding, and deaths.

The register may be paper or computer based, and should substantially be in the form shown in Schedule 2 of the Cattle Identification Regulations. You must keep these records for 10 years from the end of the calendar year in which the last entry was made.

For more details on what must be recorded, and deadlines for recording of information, see part IV of the Cattle Identification Regulations.

The British Cattle Movement Service (BCMS) can carry out on-farm inspections of records and cattle identification. For more details see Section 6 of the RPA’s Cattle Keeper's Handbook.

Back to top

Passports

Cattle born in or imported into Great Britain since 1 July 1996 must have a cattle passport. This forms the base of all identification and movement records, and must remain with them throughout their lives.

Passports are issued by the British Cattle Movement Service (BCMS) and all applications must be made within 7 days of tagging. The BCMS also runs the Cattle Tracing System (CTS) database, and is responsible for:

  • Maintaining a register of births, deaths and imports of cattle used for animal health and subsidy control purposes
  • Issuing cattle passports
  • Recording individual cattle whereabouts
  • Operating a dedicated helpline
  • Providing online services.

The cattle passports include:

  • Details of the animal on the front cover
  • Details of where it has been throughout its life
  • Movement cards you send in when the animal moves on or off a holding if the movement is not notified electronically
  • Details of the animal's death.

Chequebook-style cattle passports (CPP13) are now issued. The old style green cattle passport continues for animals registered between 1 July 1996 and 28 September 1998. These cattle were also issued with Certificates of CTS Registration (CHR3) and their passports should accompany them whenever they move. Cattle born before 1 July 1996 were issued with a Certificate of Registration which should accompany the animal when it moves.

Cattle born or imported after 1 July 1996 which do not have a passport, or have been moved with an incorrect passport, cannot move from the holding to another unless a licence is issued from Rural Payments Agency.

The RPA has produced a series of guidance notes on cattle passports including:

How to apply for cattle passports
Details of how to apply for a cattle passport are available on the Rural Payments Agency’s website.

Calf passports
You will need to get a full chequebook-style passport before moving a calf. Calves may not be transported until the navel has healed - i.e. the umbilicus has shrivelled, fallen off and the skin healed over. However, where a passport has not been received, a movement licence may be granted in exceptional welfare circumstances - for example, if the animal needs fostering or if dangerous events happen where movement is necessary, such as a fire or a flood. A temporary calf passport can also be used to move calves less than 28 days old.

Passport replacements
Cattle passports are valuable documents and should be kept securely. If a passport has been lost, damaged or stolen, you must apply for a replacement from the BCMS within 14 days of becoming aware that the passport is missing. A replacement will be issued providing the animal's movement history can be traced. There is a charge for this service.

The standing movement regime
In the aftermath of the 2001 outbreak of foot and mouth disease restrictions on the movements of livestock (cattle, sheep, goats and pigs) were introduced. Whenever cattle, sheep, goats or pigs are moved onto a farm no cattle, sheep or goats may move off for a period of 6 days (13 days in Scotland). Pigs have to remain under standstill for 6 days where cattle, sheep and goats have been moved on to a holding. This is a disease damping measure designed to slow down the rate of spread of undetected disease and thus reduce the size (and hence the cost) of disease outbreaks.

Back to top

Page last modified: 4 October, 2011