Herd-keepers are reminded that ear tagging requirements for export of Breeding or Production cattle intended for export to the south of Ireland will change from 4 March.

With effect from 4 March 2008, all Breeding or Production cattle intended for export to the South must be double tagged with 14-character ear-tags. These changes will not currently affect the export of slaughter cattle.

The appropriate tagging must be carried out on the farm of origin by, or under the direct supervision of, an Authorised Veterinary Inspector approved by DARD. It is essential to ensure that, where replacement tags are necessary, the new tags must be ordered before beginning the export process. The new ear-tag numbers should be quoted on the application form when applying for export paperwork from your local DARD office. This will ensure that ear-tag numbers quoted on the export health documentation correspond with the new 14-character tag number.

Please note that animals born before 1 January 2000 currently have ear-tags with the prefix 9 (country identifier) left out of the sequence.

Any replacement tags ordered for these animals will be packed out to 13 digits and will also be eligible for export purposes.

All bovine animals exported locally must be accompanied by a valid health certificate and be officially identified in accordance with The Cattle Identification (No.2) Regulations (NI) 1998, as amended. Animals must also be accompanied by APHIS generated Passport(s) and MC2L movement licence(s). Exporters are reminded that all Passports must be signed and dated prior to export.

These new arrangements are being introduced in order to comply with the commercial requirements of the Department of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food (Dublin) and DARD is therefore introducing this change in order to facilitate trade. There are currently no changes for the export of local cattle to either Britain or other EU Member States.

DARD is reminding herd keepers that the manufacture of all ear tags, including replacement tags, can be authorised through an approved ear tag manufacturer or agent.