The Scottish Government is seeking views on proposals to change the cattle identification and traceability regime within Scotland.
We would encourage all parts of the supply-chain to respond to the consultation.
Report on using UHF for cattle EID
Business and Regulatory Impact Assessment
ScotEID welcomes the Scottish Governments consultation on cattle identification and traceability, particularly the element around the electronic identification of cattle. Bovine EID provides improved reporting accuracy and real time reporting, which are crucial in the event of a notifiable disease outbreak. It also offers the chance to remove the need for cattle passports.
ScotEID have been leading the way on research and development around bovine EID systems for over a decade. Our earlier work on Low Frequency (LF) technology for sheep EID revealed inadequacies for cattle, given their lifetime identities and the need for 100% read rates. This led us to look at Ultra High Frequency (UHF) technology, as already widely used in other sectors. UHF offers a number of advantages. For example, the ability to read single animals one at a time or multiple animals together at a greater distance whilst moving. The latter offers efficiency but also health and safety benefits by reducing the need for close handling of cattle, which can be dangerous for both staff and animals.