A total of 1,901 farmers were found to be in breach of cattle tagging requirements in 2022, according to the latest figures from the Department of Agriculture.

The breaches, identified following the Department’s cross-compliance inspections, resulted in 214 of these farmers receiving a financial penalty, deducted from their CAP direct payment.

Common breaches found on cattle farms by the Department included tagging irregularities where cattle were missing single or both tags or where calves were not tagged within 20 days of birth.

Overall, in 2022, there were 2,933 cattle identification and registration inspections carried out by the Department on farms and a further 203 inspections where sheep on the farm were also inspected, for a total of 3,136.

The Department reports that out of these 3,316 cattle farm inspections, 477 resulted in a penalty. However, it was unable to confirm what the average direct payment penalty applied to these farmers was.

There were a further 1,250 inspections where cattle identification and registration breaches were detected but no financial penalty was applied.

Through the cross-compliance inspections, 225 farmers were found to have breaches relating to their bovine herd register, with 59 of these receiving a direct payment penalty.

In relation to the Animal Identification and Movements (AIM) database for cattle, breaches were detected on 456 farms with 336 of these resulting in a penalty.