How Many Days Do You Have To Register

When a calf is born, the keeper must comply with the cattle identification regulations, which include:

ensuring it is fitted with an approved ear tag in each ear by the legal deadlines
applying for a cattle passport inside the legal deadlines
entering the calf'south details in the holding register

Each calf needs one primary and one secondary ear tag, both showing the same unique individual identification number.

Chief ear tags

The master tag must be a yellow plastic altitude-readable flag tag. It tin can go in either ear.

Each part of the primary tag must simply contain:

the crown logo
the land code ('Uk')
the herd mark
a 6 digit individual animal number

Primary ear tag for cattle — Primary ear tag

Secondary ear tags

A secondary tag must:

be in the other ear from the primary tag
contain the same official identity information equally the primary tag

A secondary tag can also:

contain management information
be a different size or mode from the primary tag
be made of metal or plastic

If you lot add management information to the tag, information technology must non touch or confuse the official identification information on information technology.

When to tag newborn calves and apply for cattle passports

You cannot move a calf off a belongings without the correct ear tags in identify and without a passport (except in exceptional circumstances on welfare grounds, in which case you must apply for a motion licence by contacting BCMS).

Yous practise not take to apply both tags at the same time and you tin choose whether to fit the primary or the secondary tag get-go.

Calf type	Deadline for plumbing fixtures first tag	Deadline for plumbing equipment second tag	Deadline for getting passport application to BCMS
Dairy	Within 36 hours of birth	Up to 20 days from birth	Within 27 days of birth
Beef	Upward to 20 days from birth	Up to xx days from birth	Within 27 days of birth
Bison	Within 9 months of nativity, or earlier weaning, whichever is sooner	Within 9 months of birth, or before weaning, whichever is sooner	Within 7 days of birth

If an untagged calf dies earlier these deadlines

You practice non need to tag it, merely you must record its date of birth and date of death against the dam number in your holding annals.

If you go along cattle for cultural and historical employ

If you go on cattle on a holding that is registered for cultural and historical utilise (except for fairs and exhibitions), yous may exist permitted to use an electronic identifier in the form of a bolus instead of ear tags. Contact BCMS for advice.

You should take care when handling cattle at all times, including when applying ear tags. You lot should ensure yous have sufficiently safe treatment facilities to undertake tagging within the statutory requirements.

The Health and Safety Executive's publication 'Treatment and housing cattle' can help you lot, as can the cattle welfare codes for England and Wales.

Contact BCMS immediately if you have problems with tagging your cattle.

What to enter in your holding annals

You should record the newborn calf's:

ear tag number
date of birth
sexual activity
breed
birth dam'due south ear tag number
sire's ear tag number (if known)

Published 6 May 2014
Last updated 4 October 2021 + show all updates

4 October 2021
This guidance has been updated to bear witness information technology no longer applies to Scotland.
6 May 2014
Outset published.