Only about 1% of Irish herd keepers have electronic identification tagging for cattle

The Irish Co-operative Organisation Society (ICOS) has called for mandatory electronic identification tagging (EID) of cattle in Ireland - despite only about 1% of current herd keepers opting for EID, which the Department of Agriculture already provides for in its current contract for supply of bovine tags.

The EID tags cost about 1 more than conventional tags.

EU member states are obliged to have EID facilities (electronic tag or bolus) in place by July 2019 — and can choose to make EID compulsory from that date.