Ulster Unionist Agriculture Spokesperson Diana Armstrong MLA has welcomed the introduction of voluntary electronic identification tags for cattle from 7 September, saying the technology will bring real benefits on farms, at marts and in processing. She has asked DAERA to bring forward the briefing it promised the AERA Committee on the mandatory EID consultation, so that farmers can plan with confidence.

Diana Armstrong MLA said:

“This is a positive step and one the sector should embrace. Anyone who has stood in a crush trying to read a mud-covered tag on a moving animal knows exactly what a reader is worth. Faster and more accurate movement recording, fewer transcription errors, less handling and safer handling for the farmer. It should also help with one of the everyday frustrations of the job, the constant business of chasing lost tags and replacing them, because the distinctive white EID tag makes a missing tag far easier to spot alongside the conventional yellow ones. We have had EID in the sheep sector since 2009 and it works. Farmers who want to adopt this should go ahead.

“I welcome too that nobody is being compelled. Herd keepers can move at a pace that suits their own business, and that is the right approach.

“What would help farmers now is clarity on what comes next. When departmental officials briefed the AERA Committee in May they undertook to return with a separate briefing on the mandatory EID consultation once the responses had been considered. That consultation closed in February. Farmers weighing up tags and reading equipment deserve to see that analysis and to know the likely timetable before they invest, so I would encourage the Department to bring that briefing forward.

“I would also encourage DAERA to be clear about cost, about how EID sits alongside the genotyping tags being applied from this week, particularly for herds with older UK 9 numbered animals which cannot take an EID genotyping tag, and about ensuring our farmers are not left with equipment that does not work across the rest of the United Kingdom. Get that communication right and this will be a genuine step forward for our cattle sector.”