How many eartags should a bovine have?

[Nithsdale]

We normally have one metal and one plastic, metals rarely come out but they sometimes get so worn they are hardly legible. 2 plastics are a nightmare, we did one run of 100 like that and never again, all of those cows have lost both tags multiple times. I even have a running joke with the salesman at the tag company about one cow who is an expert at losing tags. And you want us to put a third in? Ludicrous. We've never lost one on a lorry yet and our haulier says the abattoir is happy with just one anyway.

Try the plastic Zee Tags. Retention is exceptional.

 

[Lovegoodstock]

As @valtraman I used to use z tags, never had a ripped ear as a nice size that sat in ear, yet lost horrific amounts, and yes was put in correct position and male piece inside of ear. Switched to shearwell for free replacements this spring, have had a lot more ripped ears, bunch of 30 suckled calves I sold the other week I had 3 lost tags/ ripped ears, funny thing was they were the liveliest 3 of the bunch, not wild but the ones that thought of turning in the race or made a noise when vet jabbed them tb testing, wonder whether they come out of creep quicker than most and snag more? Been told by numerous people if they sell a wild beast fat direct to abattoir they have no problem with one tag, but replacement tag put on passport with an elastic band??!! No tags would be recyclable, or the strip many come placed in, maybe a tattoo or freeze branding should be compulsory on the environmental anti plastic front...

 

[milkloss]

As @valtraman I used to use z tags, never had a ripped ear as a nice size that sat in ear, yet lost horrific amounts, and yes was put in correct position and male piece inside of ear. Switched to shearwell for free replacements this spring, have had a lot more ripped ears, bunch of 30 suckled calves I sold the other week I had 3 lost tags/ ripped ears, funny thing was they were the liveliest 3 of the bunch, not wild but the ones that thought of turning in the race or made a noise when vet jabbed them tb testing, wonder whether they come out of creep quicker than most and snag more? Been told by numerous people if they sell a wild beast fat direct to abattoir they have no problem with one tag, but replacement tag put on passport with an elastic band??!! No tags would be recyclable, or the strip many come placed in, maybe a tattoo or freeze branding should be compulsory on the environmental anti plastic front...

Just a query there: you do mean that you put the point (Male) in through the back of the ear so the point finishes inside the ear?

 

[mo!]

As I understand they must have a tag in each ear, so 3 wouldn't be any help. So following the OP's logic you should put 4 in... all ours have 2 ministry and a large management. Missing tags are ordered and fitted on departure.

 

[Lovegoodstock]

Yes, re read post and didn't word it particularly well!!

 

[Lovegoodstock]

As I understand they must have a tag in each ear, so 3 wouldn't be any help. So following the OP's logic you should put 4 in... all ours have 2 ministry and a large management. Missing tags are ordered and fitted on departure.

Unless your luck is in and they lose one of them from the ear that had 2 put in!! But really does just sum up the world today, officially an animal with one ear tag should be binned as unfit for human consumption, despite the other tag corresponding to paper work, whilst paying someone to observe this, and still people hungry in the world...

 

[jendan]

And if it loses one on a lorry or at slaughter house?

It gets binned,and you will be required to pay for it.

 

[Princess Pooper]

I think you need to find a better tag supplier. Metal tags are nearly a waste of time as so hard to read. We’ve been tagging with primary type tags in both ears. Makes tb testing so much easier and have very low losses. (A couple of % a year at a guess.)

We've tried several! Identification for us is not an issue once they are yearlings as they are freeze branded as bulling heifers so do ID problems at all for tb testing or anything else, only reason to re-tag is to keep officials happy. Small dairy herd so we recognise most of them by sight even if we can't see the freeze brand.

 

[Agrispeed]

I use button secondary tags in the ear close to the head. Very rarely loose them. I have quite a few that are so faded now that they are getting difficult to read, but would be over a decade old.

 

[Bobthebuilder]

1 button tag and 1 flag tag in opposite ears and a management in same ear as button, point facing forward not lost any for ages now

 

[Bobthebuilder]

but i heard yesterday that all tags need to be EIDs from next year

 

[Full of bull(s)]

It gets binned,and you will be required to pay for it.

They don’t. If you send too many with one tag regularly you will get a slapped wrist from trading standards if the vet reports you, but after the Madders review a few years ago his recommendation to allow a percentage of animals with only one tag to be let through was accepted by DEFRA, less than 10% on a load you are fine. It’s your gamble that they don’t lose the other one. I gave up running around for last minute replacements long ago and haven’t had any trouble

 

[superted]

Don't reckon on any tags, take a photo of calf at birth, add it to passport on application....... it works for humans ( just )

 

[milkloss]

Don't reckon on any tags, take a photo of calf at birth, add it to passport on application....... it works for humans ( just )

White background and not smiling?

 

[MissSteak]

Can't believe basic cattle tagging regulations are still a discussion point......
Two tags with matching numbers, and if you don't like the rules then wheest, and just get on with it.

 

[watcher72]

Can't believe basic cattle tagging regulations are still a discussion point......
Two tags with matching numbers, and if you don't like the rules then wheest, and just get on with it.

So you book in a load of beasts, goto load and one beast has only got 1 tag.
It's still identifiable by it's primary or secondary tag.
You call the abattoir who say it need 2 tags to be slaughtered.

Therefore all beast booked in for slaughter will now have 3 tags here in case they lose one

 

[dannewhouse]

I don't think EID tags are mandatory from next year as surely we would have at least 1 years notice to use old stocks up?

I put 2 large flag (Caisley <you must use a good brand tag) 1 management 1 full print I can read both, only problem is you have to decide on calf's number from birth or could get interesting writing on it in crush. but what would it matter if you had 100 cattle but numbers up to 150+ but not every number?
could set them up in calving year ie 0-50 2016, 50-100, 2017 etc. depends what you want.

 

[hendrebc]

Tags are just more rubbish. They need 2 but why? Cattle weren't tagged for thousands of years and no one died because there wasn't plastic in their ears. Tag them before they go off the holding of birth to trace were they came from yes I understand that but why do any more? No harm would come of tagging fat steers before they go on the lorry to slaughter. Or store cattle before thet go to auction. Why put cattle through the stress of being tagged and ripped ears more than necessary? An old cow born on the farm she has lived out her whole life needn't be tagged till she leaves as a cull 20odd years later. But no we need tags to keep us safe so more people in offices can keep their jobs
I saw 2 massive Holstein steers dead in a knackere lorry a few years ago. They would have been 6 years old and were fat as pigs. Someone had kept 2 bull calves as pets they looked as healthy as could be but they had to be shot and disposed of because they had never been tagged. What a bloody waste it made me so bloody angry and still does!

 

[Nithsdale]

So you book in a load of beasts, goto load and one beast has only got 1 tag.
It's still identifiable by it's primary or secondary tag.
You call the abattoir who say it need 2 tags to be slaughtered.

Therefore all beast booked in for slaughter will now have 3 tags here in case they lose one

You are actually an idiot.

The rules are 2 tags - 1 in each ear.

It's YOUR fault and nobody else's if when you go to load cattle there's some only have 1 tag.
It's up to YOU to ensure they are tagged correctly.

YOU know you have cattle leaving YOUR holding - say next week. YOU know YOU have 7 days to check tags and order any replacement to make sure YOU comply with regulations.
Most tag company's do their best to have them with you next day!

I couldn't give a toss the argument you are trying to make. Get upto speed, or get out of the industry.

If you think cattle tagging is hard going, I suggest you never keep sheep...

 

[watcher72]

You are actually an idiot.

The rules are 2 tags - 1 in each ear.

It's YOUR fault and nobody else's if when you go to load cattle there's some only have 1 tag.
It's up to YOU to ensure they are tagged correctly.

YOU know you have cattle leaving YOUR holding - say next week. YOU know YOU have 7 days to check tags and order any replacement to make sure YOU comply with regulations.
Most tag company's do their best to have them with you next day!

I couldn't give a toss the argument you are trying to make. Get upto speed, or get out of the industry.

If you think cattle tagging is hard going, I suggest you never keep sheep...

I suggest you get off your untagged high horse wind your neck in a pay homage to the two ears one mouth rule.
It had two tags up the the night before it was due to loaded.
Now tell me where in the UK you can at 5am get an eartag to go into a beast to load it onto a lorry by 5.15?
I wait for your reply. Actually I don't because I couldn't get a sh!t what you say because sounds like you haven't a clue about real farming !