Livestock identification and traceability: guidance

Cattle

In Scotland, cattle keepers are legally required to report all cattle movements to ScotEID. 

All cattle births, deaths and movements must be reported to the ScotMoves+ system. Additionally, movements ‘within-business’ must be reported to the ScotMoves system. These systems provide a central record of all cattle locations and movement data in Scotland, which is crucial in the event of a disease outbreak.

Since late 2013, cattle data has been used to implement the Bovine Viral Diarrhoea (BVD) eradication programme in Scotland. It has also enabled the development of the Scotch Potential Eligibility Cattle Checker (SPECC) – an online system for keepers, markets and abattoirs to check that cattle were born and reared on Scottish holdings.

We are working with ScotEID and other UK administrations to facilitate the exchange of cross-border movement data and develop a system which will deliver an overall UK View of cattle data. This will allow the effective traceability of all cattle within the UK.

Getting started

There are a number of steps you need to take before you move cattle onto your holding in order to operate within the requirements of the law:

• you must register your holding with the Rural Payments and Inspections Division (RPID) through your local office. They will give you a County Parish Holding (CPH) number, which is a unique code allocated to the land where animals are kept. This number is used when reporting and recording animals movements on to or off your holding
• you must inform your local Animal and Plant Health Agency (APHA) office. They will give you a herd mark for your holding, which is used to identify animals born on the holding and allows you to purchase ear tags for your cattle
• you must contact ScotEID, who will advise on the documents required to setup an account on the ScotMoves+ system, and assist you in the process

You can register with ScotEID via:

• the ScotEID website
• telephone: 01466 794323
• email: help@scoteid.com

It is important you contact RPID, APHA and ScotEID if any of the following details change:

• business title
• telephone number
• holding address (i.e. where the cattle are kept)
• correspondence name and address (if different from your holding address)
• email address

Identification

The table below presents ear tagging requirements and format for different cattle’s date of birth.

Date of birth	Tagging requirements	Example of tagging format
15 October 1990 to 1 April 1995	Ear Tag	A1234 123 B654 3210 D123 123C
1 April 1995 to 31 December 1997	At least one ear tag with a unique alpha-numeric identity.Includes UK at the beginning.	UKAB1234 56789 UK A1234 56789
1 January 1998 to 31 December 1999	Ear tag in each ear (double tagging) with the same unique alpha-numeric identity for the lifetime of the animal. Includes UK at the beginning.	UKAB1234 56789 UK A1234 56789
1 January 2000 to current (1 July 2000 made compulsory)	Ear tag in each ear with the same unique numeric (numbers only) identity for the lifetime of the animal. Includes UK at the beginning + a six-digit herd number + a five-digit animal number + an additional ‘check-digit’ calculated from the other digits and inserted between the herd number and the animal number.	UK666666500046

When to identify

All cattle born on your holding must be tagged within the following deadlines:

• beef cattle: approved ear tags must be fitted in each ear within 20 days of birth, or before the animal moves off the holding of birth if that is before it is 20 days old
• dairy cattle: at least one approved ear tag must be fitted within 36 hours of birth. The second tag must be fitted within 20 days of birth. Both tags must be fitted before the animal leaves its holding of birth, if that is before it is 20 days old

The only exception to these timescales is bison. You can tag them within nine months of birth, but they must be tagged before leaving the holding of birth or when separated from their mother, whichever is sooner.

By law, you must register your calf with ScotEID within 27 days of birth. The exception is bison which must be notified within seven days of birth.

If an untagged animal dies before these deadlines you do not need to tag it. However you must record its date of birth and date of death against the dam number in your holding register.

Double tagging requirements

Cattle must be fitted with two ear tags: a primary and a secondary tag.

• the primary tag which may be inserted in either ear, must be made of yellow plastic and measure at least 45mm in height and 55mm width. The characters must be a minimum of 5mm high. It must bear the GB symbol of a crown, the letters UK and the animal's unique identification number
• the secondary tag must be in the opposite ear to the primary tag. It can be made from a range of approved materials and types, including metal, button and other plastic types. It may also contain management information

Ear tag replacement

If an animal loses a tag or the tag becomes illegible, it must be replaced no later than 28 days after you notice the loss. 

For animals born or imported after 1 January 1998, lost or illegible tags can only be replaced with a tag showing the same number, as the animal must retain its unique number for life.

Ordering ear tags

The UK Government’s Department for Environment, Food & Rural Affairs (DEFRA) is responsible for approving ear tags on behalf of the Scottish Government. Cattle keepers must order ear tags from one of the DEFRA-approved ear tag manufacturers.

Manufacturers and suppliers must order unique ear tag numbers from the Livestock Unique Identification Service (LUIS), which replaced the Ear Tag Allocation System (ETAS) for cattle in February 2023.

Further information for cattle ear tag manufacturers and suppliers – covering the approval process and its implications for keepers – is available in the Code of Practice on the UK Government’s website. 

Keepers are invited to provide feedback on the approved tags they use, especially where tag retention and durability issues are identified, using this DEFRA form: Give feedback on ear tags, pastern bands or boluses.

The Information you need to register your calf

When registering your calf the following information needs to be recorded on ScotEID:

• the 12 digit ear tag number
• the sex of the animal
• the birth dam’s ear tag number (i.e. the animal that gave birth to the calf)
• the genetic dam’s ear tag number, if different to the birth dam (if known)
• the date of birth
• the breed
• the sire’s ear tag number (if known)

It is your responsibility as a keeper to ensure that the information you provide to ScotEID is accurate. Any corrections (e.g. an incorrect sex), should be notified to ScotEID as soon as they are discovered, in order to maintain the accuracy of the information recorded. 

Late calf registration

If you do not register your calf within 27 days of the birth, your application will be considered late and a Notice of Registration will be issued. In practical terms, this means that:

• the animal must remain on your holding for its lifetime
• the animal must not be moved alive from your holding, unless you obtain a movement licence and move the animal direct to a Bovine Spongiform Encephalopathy (BSE) sampling site, knackers yard or hunt kennel
• the animal is not eligible for the human food chain
• the animal can only be used for milking or breeding purposes. Any calves born to these animals must be registered in the usual way

Cattle passports

All cattle born in or imported into Great Britain since 1 July 1996 must have a cattle passport. This requirement applies to male, female, dairy or beef cattle and applies even if the animal remains on the holding where it was born. A cattle passport must accompany the animal throughout its life, and it enables its movements to be traced.

The keeper must apply for a cattle passports within seven days of the animal being tagged (a maximum of 27 days in total from the date of birth). For bison, the passport application must be submitted within seven days of birth, and should include the identification code of the ear tag that will be attached to the animal.

Applications which are not received in time could lead to restrictions of movements of cattle on a keeper's holding and refusal of the passport application.

Since the introduction of ScotMoves+ on 4 October 2021, cattle passports have been issued by ScotEID on behalf of the Scottish Government.

Animals born before 4 October 2021 may have one of three types of cattle passport, depending on their date of birth. These are:

• single-page passport (issued from 1 August 2011)
• chequebook-style passport (for animals registered between 28 September 1996 & 31 July 2011)
• old-style blue and green passport (for animals registered between 1 July 1996 & 27 September 1998)

Animals born before 4 October 2021 that do not have a passport would be expected to have one of the following two other types of identification:

• Certificate of Cattle Tracing System (CTS) Registration (for animals born or imported into Great Britain before 1 July 1996)
• Notice of Registration (issued if a cattle passport is refused, restricting the animal from leaving its holding unless under licence)

Passport amendments and replacements

If you need to amend a passport or request a replacement, the updated passport will be issued as a ScotEID passport with the next appropriate version number for the passport for that animal. Passports requiring amendment should be sent to ScotEID with the required changes clearly marked on the passport. There is a £20 charge for replacement passports. Passports notified to ScotEID as not received within six weeks of issue will be replaced free of charge.

Bar code labels can also be requested free of charge from ScotEID. 

More information on ScotEID passports is available on ScotEID website.

Holding register

It is a legal requirement for keepers to record details of all cattle births, deaths and movements ‘on’ and ‘off’ the holding in their holding register.

The following information is the minimum that should be kept in the register for each animal:

• ear tag number
• date of birth
• sex
• breed
• identity of genetic dam
• date of death of animal on the holding
• date of movements on and off the holding
• details of where the animals had moved to or from

Registers must be completed within the following deadlines:

• 48 hours for movements 'on' or 'off' a holding
• 7 days for the birth of a dairy animal
• 30 days for the birth of cattle not in a dairy herd
• 7 days for a death
• 36 hours for replacement ear tags

Notification of movements

When cattle move ‘on’ or ‘off’ your holding, the movement must be:

• recorded in your holding register, and
• notified to ScotEID 

If you are moving an animal ‘off’ your holding to a Scottish market or a Scottish abattoir, they will generally notify the movement on your behalf. However, if you are unsure, it is important to check with them directly. It is still the legal responsibility for a keeper to ensure their records are accurate and up to date. 

If a market facilitates the sale of an animal for you but the animal does not go through the sale ring, you must check with the market whether they will report the movement on your behalf.

Keepers can notify movements to ScotEID via:

• the ScotMoves+ system
• the ScotEID website or
• by phone: 01466 794323

Movements in and out of Scotland

For a private sale, show or hire move, out of Scotland, you must notify ScotEID of the move ‘off’ your holding to the destination holding in England or Wales. For a market sale at a Scottish market, the market will record the ‘off’ move to the English or Welsh holding and send the data to ScotEID.

For moves into Scotland you must notify ScotEID by recording the departure holding the animals have come from out with Scotland when recording the animals ‘on’ movement to your holding.

If you have holdings in Scotland, England or Wales, you must:

• register with ScotEID for cattle records including births, deaths and movements for the holding in Scotland
• use the British Cattle Movement Service (BCMS) and record your cattle data on CTS for your English or Welsh holdings

Movements ‘within-business’ between holdings in Scotland and England or Wales are not considered internal moves. These must be recorded as external ‘business-to-business’ moves, using cattle passports. Such movements are treated as cross-border moves.

Scottish live auction sales -  Scottish 'four-way electronic movement' reporting system

All Scottish markets report the following movements on your behalf, including both the 'off’ farm and the 'on’ farm movements:

• off-movement from the departure keeper's main CPH
• on-movement to market
• off-movement from market
• on-movement to the receiving keeper's main CPH

However, markets will only report movements to a keeper’s main CPH number. Any subsequent ‘within-business’ movements must be made using the ScotMoves system. You should contact ScotEID for advice or registration.

ScotMoves - 'within-business' moves

The ScotMoves system holds all cattle movement data in Scotland and is a central record of all cattle locations, which is crucial in the event of a disease outbreak.

ScotMoves allows you to move cattle ‘within-business’ without this being recorded on the animals passport. The ScotMoves system is simple and easy to use, and does not require any additional information beyond what you already record in your holding register.

Additional holdings used with the ScotMoves system are only valid for 364 days and must be renewed annually. You can update or amend the registration at any point during this period.

Please note that ScotMoves (and ScotMoves+) will not automatically re-register an additional holding unless ScotEID receives a report of a movement during the final 120 days of the registration period.

Direct to slaugter - 'farm to abattoir' moves

Scottish abattoirs report both the 'off-farm’ movement and the 'on-abattoir’ movement electronically on your behalf. You should check with your abattoir that they are reporting the ‘off-farm’ movement for you. If they are not, it is your legal responsibility as the keeper to notify the ‘off-farm’ movement to ScotEID. Regardless, the abattoir remains responsible for reporting the ‘on-abattoir’ movement. 

On-farm auction, video sales, sales other than at live auction 

In the case of on farm auction, video sales, or sales other than at live auction, it is your responsibility as the keeper to ensure that all movements are notified to ScotEID. This can be done by an agent or agents acting on behalf of either the departure or receiving keeper. However, if no agent is involved, the keeper themselves must notify movements to ScotEID.

Movements to and from shows

All movements ‘on’ and ‘off’ showgrounds must be notified to ScotEID. When an animal moves to and from a showground, you must:

• report the ‘off’ movement from your holding
• report the ‘on’ movement back to your holding

Show secretaries will generally report movements ‘on’ and ‘off’ the showground, but you should check with them in advance of the move to confirm. It remains your legal responsibility as the keeper to ensure all movements are correctly recorded.

Movements of hire bulls

When a hire bull leaves your holding the following must the notified to ScotEID:

• you must notify the ‘off’ movement from your holding
• the keeper hiring the bull must notify the ‘on’ movement to their holding
• when the bull returns to your holding, the keeper hiring the bull must notify the ‘off’ movement from their holding
• you must notify the ‘on’ movement when the bull is returned to your holding

Movement of untagged calves

You cannot move any animals from a holding, unless it is identified with an ear tag. However, calves under 27 days old may be moved without a tag in cases of welfare need or for exceptional circumstances (e.g. flooding or fire). In such cases, ScotEID must be notified straightaway, and you must provide the following information:

• sex of the animal
• birth dam’s ear tag number (the animal that gave birth to the calf)
• genetic dam’s ear tag number, if different to the birth dam (if known)
• date of birth
• breed
• sire’s ear tag number (if known)
• date and CPH when and where the animal is moving from
• details of the new keeper and new holding

Exports and movements to the EU and Norther Ireland

You can find information on the requirements for exporting livestock, including cattle, from Scotland to the EU and for movements to Northern Ireland on the UK Government’s website: Export or move livestock and poultry.

Passports must be returned to ScotEID, 7 Deveron Road, Huntly, AB54 8DU.

Imports and movements from the EU and Northern Ireland

You can find information on the requirements for importing livestock, including cattle, from the EU to Great Britain on the UK Government’s website.

Information is also available on the requirements on moving livestock from Northern Ireland to Great Britain.

Imports from outside the EU

If you import cattle from outside the EU, you must do the following:

• within 20 days of the animal leaving the border control post or before it leaves the holding of destination, you must remove any original ear tags and replace them with approved UK ear tags
• within 15 days from the date the animal is tagged, you must register the animal with ScotEID

Movement restrictions

At present, the standstill period for cattle in Scotland is 13 days. This restriction was originally introduced a direct result of the 2001 foot and mouth disease outbreak, but this also helps to control the spread of other contagious diseases.

A list of exemptions to the standstill requirements is available. 

Death reporting

If an animal dies on your holding

You must report your animal’s death to ScotEID within seven days. You can do this by:

• reporting the death electronically via the ScotEID website
• phoning ScotEID on 01466 794323

In both instances, the animal’s passport must be returned to ScotEID, 7 Deveron Road, Huntly, AB54 8DU.

You are not allowed to bury or burn carcasses on your holding (unless an incineration plant on your holding has been approved by APHA). There are exceptions to this in specified remote areas in the Highlands and Islands of Scotland (as per The Animal By-Products (Enforcement) (Scotland) Regulations 2013 – Section 8).

Animals over 48 months old

If an animal aged over 48 months dies on your holding:

• you must contact a collector within 24 hours of the death to arrange delivery of the carcase to an approved sampling site so that a brainstem sample can be taken for BSE testing
• if you choose to deliver the carcase yourself, you must notify the sampling site within 24 hours of the death. However, you have a further 48 hours to make the delivery

Depending on the type of passport the animal holds:

• for animals with a single page passport, the TSE cut-off slip should be left with the carcase
• for animals with a chequebook style passport or a certificate of registration, the movement card should be left with the carcase

In all cases, the passport must be returned to ScotEID, 7 Deveron Road, Huntly, AB54 8DU.

To note that certain Scottish Islands are exempt from sending these animals for BSE testing.

If an animal is slaughtered at an abattoir

When you consign an animal for slaughter, most abattoirs will notify ScotEID of both the ‘off farm’ and ‘on abattoir’ movements on your behalf. 

It is your responsibility as the keeper to ensure that the animal is correctly identified and that it is accompanied by the appropriate Food Chain Information (FCI).

If an animal is slaughtered on the holding

If your animal is slaughtered on your holding by a vet or slaughterhouse operative then you must notify the death to ScotEID.

Cattle identification inspections

Why inspections are carried out

The Scottish Government through the Rural Payments and Inspections Division (RPID) carries out cattle identification inspections. 

These ensure that cattle keepers are complying with animal identification and traceability regulations, and (where applicable) voluntary coupled support scheme requirements as set out in domestic and EU legislation (as implemented under Assimilated Law).

Every year, RPID must undertake inspections on:

• three per cent of holdings with cattle
• three per cent of Scottish Suckler Beef Support Scheme claimants
• three per cent of Scottish Suckler Beef Support Scheme claimed animals

The main purpose of the inspection is to check you are complying with the cattle keeper requirements so that RPID can monitor and trace the cattle population if there is a serious disease outbreak. Where you are a claimant RPID are also required to inspect as part of paying agency requirements.

Other bodies, such as APHA and local authorities, may also carry out inspections.

How RPID chooses farms to inspect

Holdings to be inspected are selected either at random, on the basis of risk analysis, or via referrals. The risk factors considered include for example the number of animals on the holding, the results of previous inspections and the time passed since the last inspection.

What RPID inspectors do

The key requirements are:

• you are registered with APHA as the keeper of the cattle
• you have tagged your cattle in accordance with current legislation
• you have registered with ScotEID and notified all births, movements and deaths on ScotMoves+/ScotMoves systems
• you have retained the appropriate identification documents
• you keep records of all cattle births, movements and deaths

The inspector will check cattle records and identification records against the information supplied to the ScotEID systems (ScotMoves+ and ScotMoves), verifying the information in the records and other supporting documents, such as purchase and sales invoices.

The inspector will physically inspect the animals to verify the accuracy of the records and check the ear tags to ensure the cattle have been tagged correctly.

What you have to do

You will be required to present your cattle records, identification and supporting documents to the inspector.

You will also be required to present your animals for inspection in a safe and secure manner, using suitable handling facilities.

How long an inspection takes

The time an inspection takes will vary depending, for example, on the number of animals you keep, the accuracy of your cattle records and the accuracy of your animal registrations.

Action taken as the result of an inspection

Keepers determined as not meeting their legislative requirements risk having:

• animal movement restriction notices served
• animal(s) issued with a Notice of Registration
• animal slaughter notices served
• reduction of any agricultural subsidy payments

Visit the Rural Payments and Services website for detailed information on cattle inspections in Scotland

Current legislation

The EC requirements of Regulation (EC) No 1760/2000 which establishes a system for the identification and registration of bovine animals are enforced through:

• The Cattle Identification Regulations (Scotland) 2007 (SSI 174)
• The Cattle Identification (Scotland) Amendment Regulations 2007 (SSI 312)
• The Cattle Identification (Scotland) Amendment Regulations 2011 (SSI 412)
• The Cattle Identification (Scotland) Amendment Regulations 2017 (SSI 133)