Make effort to sort out passports

CHECKING CATTLE passports may be last thing on many producers” minds this spring. But assessments of the number of cattle born before August 1996 remaining on farm have revealed a number of cases of missing passports of dead animals, says MLC beef economics manager Duncan Sinclair.”To help eradicate these errors ahead of the EU Food and Vet office inspection in June, BCMS says no action will be taken against producers when passports are returned more than seven days after the animal”s death.”

OTM CHANGES

Checking passports and eliminating such anomalies is vital this spring to deliver the conditions needed for a change in the OTM rule and a resumption of bone-in beef exports within the year, he adds. “Under cattle tracing system rules, passports of animals under 24 months of age dying on-farm must be returned to BCMS within seven days.

“Equally, passports of animals older than 24 months dying on-farm must be sent with the stock when they are disposed of through the designated BSE-testing channels,” adds Mr Sinclair.