The Department of Agriculture is considering making a number of changes to the passport/cattle identity card, also known at the blue card, documents seen by the Irish Farmers Journal show.

Officials have confirmed there is a feasibility study currently under way in an effort to revamp the famous famous blue card.

The study is likely to cost in the region of €7m and is funded from money clawed back from the BEAM scheme payments. To give a timely run in, the new card won’t come into use until 2025.

A source from the Department said: “A change of colour is on the cards for the cards. Some want it to go back to a green card, like we had until the 90s, others have indicated a preference for county colours, but data from the initial surveys have shown this could lead to consternation in areas where two counties meet.”

Photo ID

The new document will be referred to as a cattle passport and will also include two photos of the animal, which are to be submitted when completing registration.

These will consist of a frontal and side-profile photo of the animal's head, similar to those used in police mugshots.

"There is no right look," said the Department source. "The animal must be looking left for the side profile photo. Farmers are adept at using the cameras on their phones, so we envisage few challenges when it comes to this."

Hue of blue

Early indications are that a slightly different hue of blue is the favoured colour option by officials.

To commemorate the 75th anniversary of the introduction of bovine TB testing, the number of panels for the tuberculosis testing record will increase from 48 to 75.

The revamped cattle passport will come into use from 1 April 2025.