Okay I'm confussed for a change. I have two pygmy goats, both have ear tags from the Holding of Birth, do I need to add a tag for my holding, if so how do I get a flock/herd number, I have a CPH number but no herd/flock number. If I don't need to add a tag, do I still need a flock/herd number. Help, Im very confussed.

1. For the flock number I believe you get this by filling in a form from your county Trading Standards office.

2. From what you say, I am guessing that you are not a member of a particular breed society, in which case you will not have a society number from them. However, this does not supercede the one you will get from Trading Standards.

3. They will also tell you if you need to tag Caprines with your holding number as well as their original number. I would be surprised if they do.

 

Hi Farmers wife

The rules for goats and sheep are identical.  The DEFRA website at http://www.defra.gov.uk/animalh/id-move/sheep-goats/index.htm will tell you everything you need to know. Including how to get your UK flock mark (Telephone your local DEFRA Animal Health Divisional Office).

If your goats have tags which include the UK flockmark of their holding of birth, you do not need to tag them again.

Thank you both. I now have my flock number sorted Phone call to local defra office and it was in the post next day (very effeiciant). Thanks again

jacobus, i think you are perhaps wrong.

 

i had some goats for a short time earlier this year with very dodgey tagging arangements when they arrived. all had the same flcok number tagged in their ears, but 5 or 6 of them were not born on that holding- innocorrectly tagged by a government agency!

 from defra's guidance i worked out that before the goats left my holding they had to have S-tags, which are just a tag with S-(uk flock number) and are really easy and cheap to order/buy from farm suppliers (i had thought buying such a small number might cause problems).

 defra said:

"All sheep and goats must have a Defra-approved eartag applied in one ear with a unique numeric identification number, which must start with UK, followed by the 6-digit flock/herdmark of the holding of birth, followed by a unique number for the animal (up to 6 digits). The tag must be fitted within 9 months of birth if the animal is regularly housed outside or, if not, within 6 months and, in any event, before the animal leaves the birth holding. The tag must be visible from a distance and can be any colour, except red.

Before an animal leaves any holding it should have a tag with the flock or herd mark of that holding. Animals can therefore leave their birth holding with their holding of birth tag. However, if the animal is to move again the keeper must apply a movement tag which bears the letter S followed by the flock/herd mark of the holding it is about to leave. The movement tag will not have an individual animal number. The same applies to the next move the animal makes – a further movement tag should be applied. However, once an animal has three official tags, further tags cannot be applied for welfare reasons. To make further movements, the keeper must then record the full individual identification number of the animal in his holding register and in the movement document. If the keeper does not wish to apply an "S" tag for an earlier movement, they can instead record the animal’s full number in the holding register and the movement document."

 

so farmers_wife: i think you need to order some s-tags using your flock number when it arrives, but the tags need'nt be applied until they leave your holding, but its probavbly better to just do away with it and get it done now.

Hi selfheal,

You would be correct with the S tags if for some reason you didn't want to record the goats' individual numbers on the AML 1 movement form.  If they are individaully identified on the form they don't have to have an S tag.

Thnks for that. Can't see them leaving us, but I'll get some tags just in case.