Claas, through its IT daughter Agrocom, enters the sheep sector to offer flockmasters help with the EU individual sheep EID regulations.

RFID chip-earmarks, lightweight wireless hand-reader and comprehensive flock management software are to be introduced under the brand name Mutterschaf – German for “ewe”. Claas says capacity for recording details such as ID number, lambing record, tupping batch and all veterinary treatment records is virtually unlimited (there’s actually space in the system for up to 3000 details per sheep).

The chip information can be read by the APR 350/380 hand reader from several yards’ distance. The system should cost about £1.75 a sheep, according to Agrocom boss Klaus-Herbert Rolf.