This is a subscriber-only article
The Department of Agriculture has introduce an annual tag threshold for herd keepers ordering official bovine identification tags in compliance with EU legislation from today, 22 July 2020.
The tag threshold will be based on the average number of calves registered in the herd in the previous three years. Herd keepers can view their tag thresholds through their AIM profiles.
Herd keepers who recently increased the number of breeding females in the herd and require an increased tag threshold are to contact the department to arrange an increased threshold.
Potential of EID
As revealed by the Irish Farmers Journal last week, the blue passport could soon be a thing of the past as the Department of Agriculture looks to scope out the possibility of EID for cattle.
Among those likely to be involved in the consultation process are farm organisations, mart representative groups, Meat Industry Ireland (MII) which represents factories, and approved tag suppliers.
The sales of EID tags have been steadily rising in recent years, as farmers make use of them for robot systems, automatic calf feeding systems and record keeping, among others.
There will likely be an additional cost for farmers, with EID tags costing approximately €1 more than conventional tags.
SHARING OPTIONS: