Retagging lambs banned from June 1
A slaughter derogation exempted lambs going for slaughter before 12 months from the EU’s electronic tagging (EID) system.
Sheep born before 2010 were also exempted.
As a result, the vast bulk of Irish sheep did not have to be EID tagged. But retagging animals can no longer be permitted after Jun 1 — which will affect about 25% of animals going for slaughter.
The National Sheep Identification System (NSIS) requires all sheep born after Dec 31, 2009 to retain one identity for life, recorded accurately by tag number on movement documentation. The only exceptions are where tags are lost, where tags are upgraded to EID as lambs are retained for breeding, or being exported live.
Announcing the regulation change, Agriculture Minister Simon Coveney said: “Lambs that are electronically tagged at the holding of origin at the outset, on a voluntary basis, have a definite attractiveness over conventionally tagged lambs, as they can be scanned instead of manually having to record the tag numbers.”
He said they require no further tagging to comply with EU or NSIS rules.
Some 1.7 million EID tag sets have been purchased by Irish farmers.
An information booklet detailing provisions of the modified NSIS is being issued to all sheep farmers. It outlines rules for sheep identification, movement, record keeping and census returns, and advises on use of tags/boluses.
