Sheep and goat identification and traceability: guidance for keepers in Scotland

Section 3: The holding register

To protect the health of your livestock and to make it easier to trace your animals, you must keep a register of the animals on your holding; you should keep a separate register for each holding you use. This register will hold information about your animals, the holding and any movements of animals on or off your holding.

We have produced a new sheep and goat holding register that you can use from the 31 December 2009. You can keep your own records, in any format you wish however, it must contain all the necessary information as set out in the Scottish Government website. Every keeper, other than a transporter, must complete a holding register.

Timescales for recording movements and replacements in the holding register

Activityernment	Timescale to record activity
Record a movement onto or off a holding	Within 48 hrs of the move
Update the holding register with animal's individual identification number if you used a critical control point	Within 48 hrs of the move
Record details of animals being identified for the first time	Within 48 hrs of the identity being given
Updating the holding register after replacing an animal's identifier	Within 48 hrs of the replacement being applied
Record the annual inventory	By the date specified by the Scottish Gov

The holding register

The holding register must contain at least the following information:

(a) the identification code of the holding (CPH);

(b) the address of the holding;

(c) the type of production (for example meat, wool or hobby);

(d) the result of the latest inventory and the date on which it was carried out;

(e) the name and address of the keeper;

(f)^[3] in the case of animals leaving the holding:

(i) the name of the transporter;

(ii) vehicle registration;

(iii) CPH or the name and address of the holding of destination or, in the case of animals moved to a slaughterhouse, the CPH or name of the slaughterhouse;

(iv) the number of animals moved;

(v) the date of departure.

(g)^[3] in the case of animals arriving on the holding, the CPH of the holding from which the animal was transferred and the date of arrival;

(h) information on any replacement of means of identification (date of replacement, replacement number and flockmark or herdmark – if known).

Keepers can, if they wish record the lot number supplied in the movement document from the Market in their holding register.

Dates for recording additional information in the holding register

From 31 December 2009 you must record in the holding register the individual number for each fully EID identified animal and double identified goat when the animal:

• is first identified;
• dies; or
• moves to another holding.

Slaughter animals are always recorded as a batch or batch within a batch.

For historic animals (born or identified before 31 December 2009) you never have to record individual identification numbers in the holding register (except for animals moving to shows).

From 31 December 2009, the holding register must contain at least the following up-to-date information for each animal identified or born after that date:

• the individual identification number of the animal;
• if on the holding of birth, the year of birth and date of identification;
• the month and year of death⁴ of an animal on the holding;
• if known, the breed and genotype of each animal.

You can record sequential identification numbers in the holding register, for example you would enter:

Individual identification number: UK 0 2444220 00127 to 50

slaughter animals

• for animals that are under 12 months and intended for slaughter before they reach 12 months, a single record can be made for each batch identified, the record must include the number of animals within the batch;
• the batch flockmark or herdmark of the animals;
• if on the holding of birth, the year of birth and date of identification;
• the month and year of death^[4] of an animal on the holding;
• if known, the breed and genotype of each animal;
• where a batch contains animals born on different holdings, the number of animals from each holding with the same flockmark or herdmark should be recorded (batch within a batch recording).

Recording and reporting the different types of moves

When an animal moves onto or off your holding its movement must be recorded in the holding register.

The only exceptions is:

• when the move is to common grazing in a crofting township.

Recording movements in the holding register

There are three ways to record the animal's identification number in the holding register.

Type of recordingals'.	What is this?	Which animals
Individually	This is where you record the individual identification number of each animal. e.g. UK 0 244422 00006 (sheep) 1 UK 123456 000106 (goats) 1	Animals born or identified after 31/12/2009 and kept for breeding or beyond 12 months of age.
Batch recording	This is where animals moving in batches all have the same flock or herd marks. In this instance you only record the total number of animals moved. e.g. Batch identifier Number of animals UK 244220 24	This is used for slaughter animals, historic animals and for farm moves where the ownership of the animals does not change.
Batch within a batch recording	This is where animals moving in batches have different flock or herd marks. You must record the number of animals which have the same flock or herd mark. e.g. Batch identifier Number of animals UK 244220 24 UK 123456 26 Total animals moved 50	Animals born or identified after 31/12/2009, intended for slaughter before the age of 12 months 'slaughter anim

Moves within a business

Where animals are moved from one holding to another but the ownership of the animals does not change, an entry should be recorded in the holding register and a movement document should be completed, showing the number of animals moved at batch level.

Recording 'on' and 'off' movements in the holding register

Instead of recording details of these movements in your holding register, you may keep a copy of your completed movement document. If you choose to do this, you must keep it with the holding register. These documents must be available to be inspected at any time and kept for 3 years.

Critical control point (CCP) recording

To help with recording the animal's individual number, we have introduced critical control point (CCP) recording. This is where an approved CCP, such as a market or abattoir, will electronically read the animal's individual identification numbers for you. Section 5 on CCP recording explains how this works in practice and what you have to do if you choose to use this facility.

Types of recording – yourself or CCP

For individual recording, it is up to you to decide whether you read and record an animal's individual identification number yourself as it moves off your holding or use a CCP to electronically read and record the numbers on your behalf. See section 5 on CCP recording for full details of how this arrangement will work.

If you identify your animals with an EID identifier and you do not use a CCP you are responsible for reading and recording your animals identifier.

Moves off your holding

To another keeper's holding (including markets and abattoirs)

If you are moving animals to another keeper's holding you should:

• make sure your animals are correctly identified;
• record the movements in your holding register; and
• complete the relevant section of the movement document.

If animals are not correctly identified when they arrive at a market or abattoir or the movement document is not correctly completed, your animals may be rejected.

EID readers

You can buy electronic readers from any supplier, but they should only sell you equipment which meets the EU standards. There is a list of equipment which meets the EU standards and other technical standards necessary in the UK on the BCMS website at www.rpa.gov.uk and search under 'Electronic ID' or 'RFID'. It is recommended you only buy equipment which appears on this list. Other readers are available but may not meet the relevant standards.

When electronic recording equipment fails

If the individual number cannot be read electronically, you must physically read the number and write it down in the holding register and movement document.

Recording movements in the register when you are still the keeper of the animals

If you will still be the keeper of the animals after they have moved off your holding, you must make a record of the move in your holding register. This must be for both the holding they are leaving and the one they are moving to.

You do not need to keep the holding register for the holding the animals have moved to, but you must be able to produce it within a reasonable amount of time if an authorised inspector asks to see it.

Moves to show grounds

For movements to show grounds or exhibitions you will need to record each animal's individual identification number; and complete a movement document for each move to and from the show ground.

Moves to a vet

Your animals should normally be correctly identified before they move. However, in an emergency you can move animals to a vet without them being identified. You should record the move in the holding register but you do not have to fill in a movement document.

Moves to and from common grazing

The very specific historical and legislative rights of crofting townships continued to be recognised in disease control terms against these identification and traceability requirements.

Therefore for the purpose of identification and traceability the 'township' will continue to consist of a regulated common grazing and the crofts that have an active share in that common grazing (not apportioned out). This 'township' will be considered to be a single epidemiological unit and the rules on identification and traceability will apply to that unit. If you no longer have a share of the common grazing (or it has been fully apportioned) you must comply with the full requirements for keepers explained in the earlier sections of this guidance.

This means that moves between crofts and the common grazing do not need to be reported or recorded in the holding register. However, animals should be tagged with the correct UK tags within the required timescale or before they leave the holding (individual croft or common grazing) of birth if that move involves a change of keeper. Individual crofts and common grazings will still be allocated CPH's and flockmarks/herdmarks to facilitate this. This move must be accompanied by a movement document, reported to SAMU and recorded in the holding of birth's holding register.

Thereafter any further moves within the 'township' (i.e. between the crofts and the common grazing or between crofts within the 'township') do not need to be reported to SAMU. However, if the move involves a change of keeper the move must be recorded in the individual holding registers of the keepers concerned. As soon as animals move off the 'township' the normal rules on identification movements and holding registers apply. This means they must be correctly tagged; be accompanied by a movement document; the move must be reported to SAMU and the move must be recorded in the holding register of the individual holding (croft) from which it moved off.

Annual Inventory

Under European law all keepers must carry out an annual inventory of all the sheep and goats on every holding that they use. We will contact you by letter each year, at a specified time to ask how many sheep and goats you keep. Failure to return the annual inventory increases the chances of being selected for a sheep and goat inspection. If you do not receive an inventory request, a copy can be obtained by contacting your local RPID office (contact details at Annex A).