The level of enterprise-specific inspections carried out across cattle, sheep and goats was about 3% in 2015. The highest percentage of breaches identified in sheep inspections in recent years are issues with the Department of Agriculture Annual Sheep and Goat Census. Despite repeated reminders and stern warnings, there were 10% of farmers (4,354) registered as keepers of sheep on the DAFM database who failed to return their sheep census. The census must be returned even if there are no sheep on the holding and failing to do so can leave the farm open to a potential penalty or affect scheme eligibility.
Slight changes
This year farmers will see slight changes on their census forms, which are likely to arrive this week. The date for completing the census was usually a Sunday in early to mid-December – this is changing in 2016 to 31 December.
The Department is also developing its online recording portal for sheep. The new system will be available from 31 December 2016 to 31 January 2017, the closing date for receipt of completed forms. While farmers could complete the census through agfood.ie in recent years, a complaint was that once recorded, the information could not be accessed online again. Under the new system, sheep and goat keepers with access to agfood.ie can submit their 2016 census return by clicking on the ‘Animal Identification and Movement’ tab, followed by the ‘Census’ tab in AIM. An individual’s historical census returns can be viewed and confirmation will be given when the 2016 figures have been successfully submitted. Online returns may be amended by the farmer up to 31 January 2017. After that date, amendments may only be made by contacting the AIM division. The improvements made will allow farmers to keep track of numbers and collate with records in the flock register.
Farmers who are not registered with agfood.ie and wish to return their 2016 census online can do so by registering with agfood. This should be done well in advance of the 31 January 2017 closing date to allow time for the posting of the required logon details to the farmer.
Up-to-date recording
Many farmers also use the census as a point-in-time to bring their records up-to-date, along with replacing lost tags and tagging any lambs remaining on the holding that are approaching nine months of age. Most cross-compliance sheep inspections will usually have 48 hours’ notice as sheep need to be penned for inspecting. In an inspection there are three main areas focused on – the flock register, dispatch documents and an inspection of sheep to count numbers present and check for missing tags or incorrectly tagged animals. The following are an overview of what an inspector is looking for in each section.
Flock register: An inspector will have the records of previous sheep census returns and will check to see that the flock register is being maintained. They will also have records of tag numbers ordered and will check to see that tasks such as tagging or movements (purchases, sales, deaths) are recorded properly.
Dispatch documents: Dispatch document booklets for sheep leaving the holding and copies of documents for bought-in sheep must be retained for three years. Inspectors will check that movements of sheep moving on to or leaving the holding are recorded in the flock register and also that documents are being filled out satisfactorily (includes notifying your local district office of farm-to-farm movements into your farm). This includes aspects such as recording the full 12-digit tag number (herd identifier and individual animal identifier) where there are sheep from outside the farm of origin being recorded.
Inspection: As mentioned previously, an inspector will have the results of previous census applications. They will count the number of sheep on the holding and check that it collates with the numbers recorded in the flock register. A sample of tag numbers will also need to be read, again to ensure that the sheep are present that are recorded in the flock register. The number of animals missing tags will also be counted to see that it does not exceed the tolerance.
All you need to know about tagging
Tagging issues are responsible for about one-third of sheep inspection penalties, with problems stemming from lost tags or animals possessing incorrect tags. Options for replacing lost tags and upgrading animals to electronic status are outlined below.
Lambs: All sheep must be identified before leaving the holding of birth or before reaching nine months of age. Tagging of lambs is generally straightforward, with the minimum requirement for lambs going direct from the farm of origin to a slaughter-plant being a white conventional (non-electronic) slaughter tag in the left ear. Lambs traded through marts or moving farm-to-farm must possess a conventional yellow permanent tag in the left ear, with electronic tag optional up to 12 months of age in the right ear.
Where animals have moved outside the holding of origin and lose a tag, there are two options. If the holding of origin/tag lost is known, you can apply your own tag and correlate the tag change in the flock register. If the holding of origin cannot be established, then the lamb must receive a red tag and can only be moved off the farm for direct slaughter.
Breeding sheep: All breeding sheep and all sheep being exported must be identified with an EID (electronic identification) tag set consisting of a yellow conventional tag in the left ear and a corresponding electronic tag in the right ear. If a breeding sheep loses one of its electronic tags, farmers can order a matching tag and insert it. An alternative option is to order a new tag set (permanent and electronic tags) to replace the existing tag with the change again correlated in your flock register. If the two tags are lost but you know that the animal has been born in the flock or can establish its holding of origin then you can apply a new EID tag set and record it in the flock register. If, however, the holding of origin cannot be established, then the keeper must tag the animal with a red EID tag set and again that animal can only leave the farm for direct slaughter.
Read more from our special focus on animal identification
Watch: Mullinahone’s cattle tag is now stronger
New tagging option for cattle farmers
Datamars already supplying cattle tags in NI
How to tag calves safely
Electronic tags – what’s it all about?
Freeze-branding - is it still worthwhile?
Genomics: What? Why? How?
Most sheep penalties caused by sheep census
Different tagging systems and prices north and south
BVD tagging guidelines north and south
The level of enterprise-specific inspections carried out across cattle, sheep and goats was about 3% in 2015. The highest percentage of breaches identified in sheep inspections in recent years are issues with the Department of Agriculture Annual Sheep and Goat Census. Despite repeated reminders and stern warnings, there were 10% of farmers (4,354) registered as keepers of sheep on the DAFM database who failed to return their sheep census. The census must be returned even if there are no sheep on the holding and failing to do so can leave the farm open to a potential penalty or affect scheme eligibility.
Slight changes
This year farmers will see slight changes on their census forms, which are likely to arrive this week. The date for completing the census was usually a Sunday in early to mid-December – this is changing in 2016 to 31 December.
The Department is also developing its online recording portal for sheep. The new system will be available from 31 December 2016 to 31 January 2017, the closing date for receipt of completed forms. While farmers could complete the census through agfood.ie in recent years, a complaint was that once recorded, the information could not be accessed online again. Under the new system, sheep and goat keepers with access to agfood.ie can submit their 2016 census return by clicking on the ‘Animal Identification and Movement’ tab, followed by the ‘Census’ tab in AIM. An individual’s historical census returns can be viewed and confirmation will be given when the 2016 figures have been successfully submitted. Online returns may be amended by the farmer up to 31 January 2017. After that date, amendments may only be made by contacting the AIM division. The improvements made will allow farmers to keep track of numbers and collate with records in the flock register.
Farmers who are not registered with agfood.ie and wish to return their 2016 census online can do so by registering with agfood. This should be done well in advance of the 31 January 2017 closing date to allow time for the posting of the required logon details to the farmer.
Up-to-date recording
Many farmers also use the census as a point-in-time to bring their records up-to-date, along with replacing lost tags and tagging any lambs remaining on the holding that are approaching nine months of age. Most cross-compliance sheep inspections will usually have 48 hours’ notice as sheep need to be penned for inspecting. In an inspection there are three main areas focused on – the flock register, dispatch documents and an inspection of sheep to count numbers present and check for missing tags or incorrectly tagged animals. The following are an overview of what an inspector is looking for in each section.
Flock register: An inspector will have the records of previous sheep census returns and will check to see that the flock register is being maintained. They will also have records of tag numbers ordered and will check to see that tasks such as tagging or movements (purchases, sales, deaths) are recorded properly.
Dispatch documents: Dispatch document booklets for sheep leaving the holding and copies of documents for bought-in sheep must be retained for three years. Inspectors will check that movements of sheep moving on to or leaving the holding are recorded in the flock register and also that documents are being filled out satisfactorily (includes notifying your local district office of farm-to-farm movements into your farm). This includes aspects such as recording the full 12-digit tag number (herd identifier and individual animal identifier) where there are sheep from outside the farm of origin being recorded.
Inspection: As mentioned previously, an inspector will have the results of previous census applications. They will count the number of sheep on the holding and check that it collates with the numbers recorded in the flock register. A sample of tag numbers will also need to be read, again to ensure that the sheep are present that are recorded in the flock register. The number of animals missing tags will also be counted to see that it does not exceed the tolerance.
All you need to know about tagging
Tagging issues are responsible for about one-third of sheep inspection penalties, with problems stemming from lost tags or animals possessing incorrect tags. Options for replacing lost tags and upgrading animals to electronic status are outlined below.
Lambs: All sheep must be identified before leaving the holding of birth or before reaching nine months of age. Tagging of lambs is generally straightforward, with the minimum requirement for lambs going direct from the farm of origin to a slaughter-plant being a white conventional (non-electronic) slaughter tag in the left ear. Lambs traded through marts or moving farm-to-farm must possess a conventional yellow permanent tag in the left ear, with electronic tag optional up to 12 months of age in the right ear.
Where animals have moved outside the holding of origin and lose a tag, there are two options. If the holding of origin/tag lost is known, you can apply your own tag and correlate the tag change in the flock register. If the holding of origin cannot be established, then the lamb must receive a red tag and can only be moved off the farm for direct slaughter.
Breeding sheep: All breeding sheep and all sheep being exported must be identified with an EID (electronic identification) tag set consisting of a yellow conventional tag in the left ear and a corresponding electronic tag in the right ear. If a breeding sheep loses one of its electronic tags, farmers can order a matching tag and insert it. An alternative option is to order a new tag set (permanent and electronic tags) to replace the existing tag with the change again correlated in your flock register. If the two tags are lost but you know that the animal has been born in the flock or can establish its holding of origin then you can apply a new EID tag set and record it in the flock register. If, however, the holding of origin cannot be established, then the keeper must tag the animal with a red EID tag set and again that animal can only leave the farm for direct slaughter.
Read more from our special focus on animal identification
Watch: Mullinahone’s cattle tag is now stronger
New tagging option for cattle farmers
Datamars already supplying cattle tags in NI
How to tag calves safely
Electronic tags – what’s it all about?
Freeze-branding - is it still worthwhile?
Genomics: What? Why? How?
Most sheep penalties caused by sheep census
Different tagging systems and prices north and south
BVD tagging guidelines north and south
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