If you keep cattle in Scotland you must tag every animal, register its birth with ScotEID, hold a cattle passport for it and keep a holding register. These duties come from the Cattle Identification (Scotland) Regulations 2007 (SSI 2007/174), which enforce retained Regulation (EC) No 1760/2000. All cattle born in or imported into Great Britain since 1 July 1996 must have a passport. ScotEID issues passports on behalf of the Scottish Government (since 4 October 2021). The tagging deadlines differ for dairy and beef cattle.
- Dairy cattle tags
- First approved ear tag within 36 hours of birth. Second tag within 20 days of birth. Both tags before the calf leaves its holding of birth if that is sooner (regulations, Schedule 1)
- Beef and other cattle tags
- Approved tags in each ear within 20 days of birth, or before the calf leaves its holding of birth if that is sooner
- Bison
- Tag within nine months of birth, or when separated from the mother if sooner. Register the birth within 7 days
- Tag format
- Matching tags in each ear for animals born on or after 1 January 2000. Primary tag yellow plastic, at least 45 mm high and 55 mm wide, showing the GB crown, the letters UK and a unique number. The second tag can be metal, button or plastic
- Birth registration
- Register the calf with ScotEID within 27 days of birth (7 days for bison). You need the 12-digit ear tag number, sex, dam's tag number, date of birth, breed and sire if known
- Passport application
- Within 7 days of the animal being tagged, and in any case a maximum of 27 days from birth
- Holding register
- Record dairy births within 7 days and other births within 30 days, deaths within 7 days, and any replacement tag with a different code within 48 hours
- Record retention
- 10 years for a farm, and 3 years in any other case, counted from the end of the calendar year of the last entry
- Replacement passport
- £20 charge (free if not received within six weeks). Apply within 14 days of finding a passport lost, stolen or illegible
- Lost or illegible tags
- Replace within 28 days of noticing, with a tag showing the same number (a primary tag for a lost primary tag). If a replacement carries a different number, record it in your register within 48 hours
- Late registration
- If the calf is registered after 27 days it must stay on your holding for life unless a movement licence lets it go to a BSE sampling site, knacker or hunt kennel. It is not eligible for the human food chain and can be used only for milking or breeding
- Deregistering
- Within 30 days of ceasing to keep animals, notify RPID, APHA and ScotEID
- Who enforces
- The local authority enforces the Regulations (regulation 17), unless the Scottish Ministers direct that they will do so instead
- Inspections
- RPID inspects 3 per cent of cattle holdings each year. Inspectors check registration, tags, ScotEID notifications, passports and records
- Penalty on summary conviction
- A fine not exceeding the statutory maximum, or imprisonment for up to 3 months, or both (regulation 16)
- Penalty on indictment
- A fine, or imprisonment for up to 2 years, or both
- Other consequences
- Movement restriction notices, slaughter notices, and reductions in farm support payments
What you must do
- Register your holding first. Get a County Parish Holding (CPH) number from RPID and register with APHA. Tell the Scottish Ministers within one month of starting to keep cattle or of any change in your details (Schedule 4), and tell RPID, APHA and ScotEID within 30 days if you stop keeping animals.
- Tag every calf on time. Use only tags approved by the Scottish Ministers, and keep unused tags in a secure place. Never reuse a number or alter a tag.
- Register the birth with ScotEID within 27 days. Do it by website or phone (01466 794323). Apply for the passport within 7 days of tagging.
- Keep the passport safe. Keep each passport and produce it to an inspector on demand. Pass it to the transporter when an animal moves off.
- Keep the holding register. Record births, deaths and movements on and off, with the minimum details the register requires: ear tag number, date of birth, sex, breed, genetic dam, death date and movement details.
- Report a death. Tell ScotEID within 7 days and return the passport to ScotEID, 7 Deveron Road, Huntly AB54 8DU.
Cattle ID is a cross-compliance rule (SMR 7), so the payment reductions described in the cross-compliance entry can apply too. Movement reporting is covered in the cattle movement reporting entry.