The Government has reached agreement with farmers on a system of ear tagging to identify sheep and track their movements.
However, the IFA has said it will continue to press for electronic tagging as it becomes available and is verified as reliable.
From May all sheep will have to be identified by a visible ear tag, which gives an individual and a flock number. Ewes and store sheep which move through livestock marts will have to have a permanent tag. Lambs moving from the farm of origin to an abattoir will be given a temporary tip tag.
These tags will contain a different letter allocated to each county and a seven-digit identification number. All animals must be tagged either on leaving the farm of origin or by December 15th, at the latest. This means all animals over the age of six to eight months will be tagged by the end of this year.
Farmers will have to keep a flock register of individual numbers. For all movement, the sheep will have to be accompanied by a movement document. The Department of Agriculture will be responsible for issuing sheep tags, which will be supplied only by a small number of approved companies. The tags, about the size of a paper clip, will cost around 20p or 25p.
