British Cattle Movement Service
All cattle (this includes bison and buffalo), sheep and goats in the UK must be fitted with officially approved ear tags, bought from a registered manufacturer or supplier.
Register as an ear tag manufacturer or supplier
To manufacture or supply official ear tags for cattle, sheep or goats, you need an ear tag suppliers number. You can apply for an ear tag manufacturer or supplier number from the British Cattle Movement Service (BCMS).
You also need to read the relevant code of practice and send a signed copy of Annex A: manufacturer and supplier undertaking with your application form.
You can find the codes of practice and undertaking form at:
- cattle ear tag manufacturers and suppliers code of practice
- sheep and goat ear tag manufacturers and suppliers code of practice
Before you apply to get a tag approved
Before sending a new or modified tag for approval you must read the following guidance.
Cattle guidance
This includes:
- notes to applicants for approval of cattle ear tags
- notes on best cattle tagging practice
- the cattle welfare assessment document
- BSI Publicly Available Specifications (PAS) for official identification of cattle (PAS 44:2019)
- Bovine Official EID technical standards for EID (electronic) tags
Sheep and goats guidance
This includes:
- notes to applicants for approval of sheep and goat ear tags
- notes on best sheep and goat tagging practice
- the sheep and goats welfare assessment document
- BSI Publicly Available Specifications (PAS) for official identification of sheep and goats (PAS 66:2019)
- Sheep and goat EID approval requirements for EID (electronic) tags
Apply for approval of a tag
To apply for approval for a new ear tag, or for approval to modify an existing ear tag fill in an application form.
What happens next
The Livestock Unique Identification System (LUIS) support team will carry out an initial test of the ear tags.
They also send the tags and documents to an Animal and Plant Health Agency (APHA) vet who will carry out welfare tests.
The LUIS support team will let you know if the APHA vet is content with the tags. They will also confirm if you can arrange for live welfare trials.
Do not submit your sample tags for welfare or laboratory testing until the LUIS support team have told you to do so.
Welfare assessment
Once the LUIS support team have told you that you can move to live welfare trials, you must arrange for a welfare assessment at 2 farms under the supervision of a vet.
You must pay for any costs associated with these tests.
The welfare assessment must meet the following requirements:
| Requirement | Cattle | Sheep and goats |
|---|---|---|
| Period of assessment | 21 days | 3 months |
| Number of animals per batch of tags on each farm | at least 25 calves | at least 50 sheep or goats |
| Location | calves at one farm enclosed (not at grass) and at the other with access to pasture | sheep or goats at one farm on lowland and at the other on upland |
| Age of animals at start of assessment | less than 20 days | less than 6 months |
| Ear tag numbers | use the herd mark of the test farm and the next available batch of numbers | use the herd mark of the test farm and the next available batch of numbers |
| Loss and replacement of tags | the assessment tags will take the place of the official tags for the duration of the assessment and are allowed to remain if the tag is approved; tags that fall out during the assessment should only be replaced with approved tags with the same unique number | the assessment tags will take the place of the official tags for the duration of the assessment and are allowed to remain if the tag is approved; tags that fall out during the assessment should only be replaced with approved tags and not assessment tags |
| Veterinary assessment by the same vet | at insertion of the tags, 7 days after insertion and 21 days after insertion | at insertion of the tags, 3 weeks after insertion and 3 months after insertion |
At the end of the assessment, the vet will send you a welfare report.
You must send this report to the LUIS support team. They will check the results with the APHA vet.
If the LUIS support team are content with the results of the welfare trial they will tell you that you can move to the specification tests.
Do not send the tags for specification tests until the LUIS support team tell you to. Otherwise you may have to pay extra costs.
Specification tests
You must arrange for an ISO17025 accredited laboratory to test the new tags against Publicly Available Specifications (PAS). You must pay for any costs associated with these tests.
The PAS which apply are:
- the BSI Publicly Available Specifications (PAS) for official identification of cattle (PAS 44:2019)
- the BSI Publicly Available Specifications (PAS) for sheep and goats (PAS 66:2019)
You can find a lab on the UK Accreditation Service website.
Once completed, you must send a copy of the lab report to the LUIS support team. They will contact you when your tags have been approved (usually within one month of receiving the report). Or they will write to explain why they are not satisfied with part of the approval process.
Tagging information for livestock keepers
Keepers can find information on the rules for identifying their animals in the following guidance.
Cattle guidance
What to do after a calf is born