SMR 7: Cattle identification and registration
Control the spread of disease by identifying animals and keeping accurate records of their births, movements and deaths to allow them to be traced. This includes cattle, bison and buffalo.
Identifying your animals with official cattle ear tags
Each animal needs one official primary and one official secondary ear tag, both showing the same unique individual identification number.
You cannot move an animal off a holding without the correct ear tags in place (except in exceptional circumstances on welfare grounds, in which case you must apply for a movement licence by contacting the British Cattle Movement Service (BCMS)).
| Animal type | Deadline for fitting first tag | Deadline for fitting second tag | Deadline for getting passport application to LUIS |
|---|---|---|---|
| Dairy | Within 36 hours of birth | Within 20 days of birth | Within 27 days of birth |
| Beef | Within 20 days of birth | Within 20 days of birth | Within 27 days of birth |
| Bison | Within 9 months of birth or when separated from their mother, whichever is sooner | Within 9 months of birth or when separated from their mother, whichever is sooner | Within 7 days of birth |
You must not apply an ear tag to an animal if it has previously been used to identify a different animal, or apply an ear tag to an animal if the ear tag number has already been used on a different animal.
You must not remove an ear tag without permission from BCMS.
Replace a lost, damaged or illegible tag
You must get a replacement tag and fit it as soon as possible, but no later than 28 days after you notice the loss or damage.
Registering your animals – animal births in Great Britain and cattle brought in from outside Great Britain
When an animal is born you must register the birth by applying for a cattle passport within the legal deadlines set out in the previous table.
If an animal is imported or moved into Great Britain and moves directly to a slaughterhouse you do not need to apply for a GB passport.
If this is not the case, you must send BCMS an application for a cattle passport with the required supporting documentation.
You must apply using form CPP16, ‘Animals imported into Great Britain: apply for cattle passports’.
Movements and deaths
What counts as a movement?
Whenever cattle move off one holding and on to a different one:
- their keeper at the departure holding must report and record an ‘off movement’
- their keeper at the destination holding must report and record an ‘on movement’.
A ‘holding’ above includes other farms, markets, abattoirs, showgrounds and collection centres.
Who reports movements?
You or your registered agent can report movements.
As a keeper, you are still legally responsible for movements being notified on time, even if you use an agent.
Tell BCMS about the movement within 3 days. If you use the post, rather than reporting online or by phone, bear in mind that this is the deadline for BCMS receiving the information, not for sending it.
Reporting cattle deaths on your holding
You must either:
- report online or by phone to BCMS within 7 days of the date of death
- report by completing and returning the animal’s registration document (for example its passport) to BCMS within 7 days of the date of the death.
Report animals slaughtered on the holding
If an animal is slaughtered on your holding by a vet or abattoir operator and then taken to an abattoir for dressing, you must complete the death details section in the passport and send it with the animal to the abattoir. The passport must show that the animal died on the farm.
Lost or stolen animals
If an animal is lost or stolen, you must post the animal’s passport or certificate of registration and written details of what has happened within 7 days of becoming aware of the loss or theft.
Completing and maintaining on-farm records (holding register)
As a cattle keeper, you must keep a holding register for your cattle. The register includes specific information about each of your animals.
What to record in your register?
The register must contain the following details for each animal:
- its ear tag number
- its date of birth
- its sex
- its breed
- the dam’s ear tag number for animals born on the holding
- the date of any movement it makes on and off your holding (including movements to or from any other holding you occupy)
- details of where it has moved from or to (record either the CPH number or the name and address of the keeper)
- its date of death.
You must also record these events:
- births
- movements on or off your holding (even if you do not have to report to the Cattle Tracing System, for example because the movement was to a linked holding)
- deaths
- replacement tags for cattle born before 1 January 1998, where the number is changed.
Deadlines for updating the holding register
You should complete your records as soon as you can after the event concerned. You must complete them within:
- 36 hours in the case of movement on or off a holding
- 7 days for the birth of a dairy animal
- 30 days for the birth of all other cattle
- 7 days of death
- 36 hours of replacing ear tags where the identification number is changed.
How long to keep your records?
Holding registers must be retained for 10 years from the end of the calendar year in which the last entry was made. Other registers (for example, those kept at markets) must be retained for 3 years from the end of that year.
For more information on GOV.UK search for ‘Guidance on keeping cattle, bison and buffalo in Great Britain’. The extracts of information on this page have been taken from that guidance.
Defra Livestock Identification Helpline: 0345 050 9876
Rural Payments Agency: 03000 200 301
British Cattle Movement Service (BCMS) helpline: 0345 050 1234