Please join us in your local area for more information on the current proposal for Scottish Cattle Electronic Identification (EID).
Roadshow dates & locations

ScotEID is preparing to incorporate births, deaths and movements for cattle on the ScotEID.com website, replacing the BCMS/CTS for Scottish cattle keepers.

The new system is designed to accommodate Cattle EID from the outset and will become an all-species database, essential to more quickly manage disease outbreaks.

The ScotEID team is planning a series of roadshow events to take place throughout Scotland from October until March to explain more about the system.

Read the full press release

A short video on ScotEID, filmed at our stand at the Highland Show this year, can be found here

ScotEID is back at the Royal Highland Show this year. There are demonstrations from the ScotEID Technical Team on the Cattle EID Pilot, UHF tags and readers, and they are there to answer questions. The ScotEID Information Centre team is back to help with queries connected to Sheep, Pig and ScotMoves movements, as well as any BVD questions. There is also information available on ScotEquine.com and SmartRural is present to show the LoRaWAN (Long Range Wide Area Network) kit and to talk about their Pilot Project.

Please come along and visit us on the 7th Avenue.

The International Organization for Standardization (ISO) is in the process of devising a new international standard for animal identification, to replace the long-standing standard known as ISO11784 that currently dictates how electronic identifiers, for use on animals, are encoded using LF technology.

Compliance with ISO11784 is the reason that bovine EID using LF technology will require renumbering of cattle across the UK, including in Scotland. Global recognition that ISO11784 is somewhat out-dated has prompted moves to replace it with a more flexible approach that also recognises recent technological advances (e.g. it will apply to UHF as well LF). As-and-when the new standard is introduced, it would allow LF-based bovine EID to be adopted across the UK without requiring changes to the cattle numbering system, thereby avoiding some costs and disruption.

The attached one-page paper provides some more details on this.
Resolving LF-EID cattle numbering in the UK by using ISO's replacement for 11784

Several cases of swine dysentery have been confirmed in the north-east and the source of the infection remains unclear.

You are advised to take immediate precautions to minimise the risk of infectious material coming onto your farm. This bacteria is spread by physical contact so the big risks are incoming pigs, vehicles, people and equipment. Make sure you have ample disinfectant and consider increasing strength in cold weather. Attached are three information sheets giving more detailed advice.

Please contact your vet & the Scottish Pig Disease Control Centre on 01466 705247 if you suspect any symptoms as working together and rapid communication greatly increase our chances of containing the spread.

• Update Swine dysentery factsheet
• Vehicle Biosecurity
• Visitor Policy

Further to the news item of 31/08/2018 (see below), the proposed implementation dates for cattle EID in Scotland are likely to be delayed; however, they will still be subject to industry consultation and approval. EU exit and some other factors out with Scottish Government’s control have impacted on planned timescales.

Subject to the Scottish Government consultation exercise, electronic identification (EID) of cattle will be phased-in for Scotland over the next few years. New proposed dates for implementation will be confirmed as soon as possible.

The ScotEID team will organise a ‘road show’ around Scotland during the time of the consultation period to describe the industry led EID project and ongoing development of Cattle EID and the new data systems that will eventually replace CTS. Dates and venues will be posted here and locally advertised during the consultation period.

Extensive development of the new system remains ongoing, with very promising results from UHF tags, particularly when using the latest UHF readers that are now available.

The ScotEID system will be able to utilise LF tags when they become available in WYSIWYG (what you see is what you get) format, also delayed.

ScotEID will be at the Highland Show again this year, and the ScotEID team will be delighted to bring you up to date with the latest developments and demonstrate the technology.

The ScotEID office will be closed on the 25th & 26th of December and the 1st and 2nd of January

Due to increasing functionality, we are committed to regularly reviewing our Website Terms and Conditions and Data Protection Policy. Amongst other updates, references to the BSE Negligible Risk checker have been removed. The update also recognises the General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR), that came in to force on the 25th May 2018, as advice and guidance from the Information Commissioners Office continues to evolve.

Do you keep pigs, even just as pets...?

African swine fever is spreading in eastern and central Europe. This disease only affects pigs but is highly contagious and often fatal. If it were to reach the UK it would have a devastating effect on the health of our pigs and on domestic and international trade of pigs and pork.

Please see the poster and letter below for more information and advice:

• Summary Poster
• Letter to pig keepers