Consultation on cattle identification and traceability in Scotland

The Scottish Government envisages a future in which bovine animals are routinely identified with electronic ear tags. Industry groups have requested that the use of electronic tags be made mandatory.  They consider this necessary in order for the full benefits of electronic identification (EID) to be realised. Mandatory use of electronic ear tags could be implemented in a number of ways. For example, a requirement for use of electronic ear tags could be introduced for all cattle born after a certain date, with any requirements for animals born prior to that date (“the historical herd”) introduced at a later date.