Sheep, goats and deer: electronic movement reporting and identification
Consultation on the electronic movement reporting system (including an underpinning database) for sheep, goats and deer (England) and proposed changes to the way in which sheep and goats are identified.
Accurate identification and prompt reporting of livestock movements underpins tracing, a critical activity in the event of a disease outbreak. The current paper based system for reporting the movements of sheep, goats and deer is no longer viable. We are planning to replace it with an electronic system from April 2014.
As well as complying with the Government’s Digital by Default strategy the system will deliver on a recommendation from the Farming Regulation Task Force to reduce regulatory burdens on farmers by enabling the e-reporting of livestock movements.
As well as seeking views on our delivery plans for the e-reporting system, we also sought views on proposals to: simplify the identification of slaughter lambs, and to permit the use of injectable identifiers in non-food chain sheep and goats.