Questions and answers relating to the changes to identification tag codes - updated 13 June 2024
- Question – What is changing?
Answer - The prefix code on Northern Ireland livestock identification tags (cattle, sheep and goats) is set to change week commencing 24th June 2024, from ‘UK’ to ‘XI’.
- Question – When are the new tags being introduced?
Answer - The new XI tags will be available from week commencing 24th June 2024. Following introduction of the new XI tags there will be a transition period before the use of 'XI' becomes mandatory, and during this period it will be possible for keepers to tag newborn animals with either old stocks of 'UK' tags, or the new 'XI' tags.
At the end of the transition period, provisionally expected on 27th January 2025 only XI tags will be permitted.- Question – Why do tags have to change?
Answer – It is a legal requirement under the European Union Animal Health Law (AHL) (Regulation (EU) 2016/429), which applies in Northern Ireland.
The introduction of ‘XI’, will therefore ensure that DAERA is in compliance with its legal obligations, and will allow for continued unfettered access to both the EU and UK domestic markets, subject to existing export eligibility requirements. The introduction of ‘XI’ will also ensure the continued operation of a legally compliant traceability system, which is the fundamental cornerstone of the Northern Ireland agri-food industry and essential to the protection of trade, public health, animal health and welfare.- Question – Why is the digit after the UK prefix on cattle tags also changing?
Answer - To facilitate the possible introduction of bovine electronic identification (EID) in the future, there will be a minor change to the numbering format on cattle tags. The digit 0 will replace the digit 9 in front of the herd number on cattle tags.
- Question – What do farmers need to do to prepare for the introduction of the new code?
Answer – Livestock keepers are advised not to order more 'UK' tags than they could use between now and the end of the transition period, which is anticipated to be on 27th January 2025.
The major farm software providers have been advised of and are prepared for the changes. Keepers who manage their herd or flock using farm software packages should confirm with their provider that their software will be compatible with livestock ID tags in the new format, including sheep EID tags programmed with the digits 899.
- Question – Will herd keepers be able to use up stocks of UK tags?
Answer – There will be a transition period following the new XI tags becoming available week commencing 24th June 2024 until the final switchover date, expected on 27th January 2025. During this transition period it will be permissible to tag and register newborn animals with either the keeper's existing stock of ‘UK’ prefix tags or the new ‘XI’ prefix tags.
It will be a mandatory requirement to tag all newborn cattle, sheep and goats with new ‘XI’ prefixed tags after the switchover date in January 2025. Therefore, herd keepers are advised not to order more tags that they could use between now and January 2025.- Question – What will the new tags look like for cattle?
Answer – Physically tags will look the same as before. All new cattle tags issued in NI will begin with ‘XI’ 0, replacing the current ‘UK’ 9, while the remaining numbers on tags will be unchanged. After the ‘XI’ 0 prefix, all numbers will be as currently formatted, which are:
- Natal 6-digit herd number;
- 4-digit individual animal number; and
- A check digit*
Tags will carry on in sequence from the last number issued to your herd prior to changeover. For example:
If the last ‘UK’ 9 tag issued to you was:
UK 9 123456 1234 5*
The next newly issued tag will be:
XI 0 123456 1235 6* (*Check digit changes and will depend on formula)
- Question – What will the new tags look like for sheep?
Answer – As with cattle, physically tags will look the same as before. All new sheep tags will begin with ‘XI’ replacing the current ‘UK’, while the remaining numbers on tags will be unchanged. After the ‘XI’ prefix, all numbers will be as currently formatted, which are:
- The digit 1
- The 6-digit natal flock number
- The 5-digit individual animal ID
Tags will carry on in sequence from the last number issued to your herd prior to changeover.
If the last UK 1 tag issued to you was:
UK 1701234 56789 (EID 826 1701234 56789)
The next newly issued tag will be:
XI 1701234 56790 (EID 899 1701234 56790)
- Question – What will the new tags look like for goats?
Answer – As with cattle and sheep, physically tags will look the same as before. All new goat tags will begin with ‘XI’ replacing the current ‘UK’, while the remaining numbers on tags will be unchanged. After the ‘XI’ prefix, all numbers will be as currently formatted, which are:
- The digit 1
- The 6-digit natal flock number
- The 5-digit individual animal ID
Tags will carry on in sequence from the last number issued to your herd prior to changeover.
If the last UK 1 tag issued to you was:
UK 1701234 56791 (EID 826 1701234 56791)
The next newly issued tag will be:
XI 1701234 56792 (EID 899 1701234 56792)
- Question – What about EID tags on sheep and goats?
Answer – It is not envisaged there will be any issues as a result of changing to the ‘XI’ prefix for EID tags on sheep and goats. ‘899’ the 3-digit numerical equivalent of ‘XI’ for NI livestock ID purposes, will be encoded on EID devices in the same way ‘826’ is currently encoded as the equivalent to ‘UK’. However, keepers who read sheep tags using an EID reader and upload the tag numbers to a farm software package should confirm with their providers that their software will be compatible with the new prefix.
- Question – Will the requirements for Sheep CPRs change?
Answer – Central Points of Recording (CPRs) such as marts, abattoirs and Export Assembly Centres (EACs) have been informed about the new code and have made the necessary changes to their systems to accommodate the new ‘XI’ prefix. CPRs read sheep and goat tag numbers and upload movement notifications to APHIS electronically. CPR software currently translates ‘826’ on sheep and goats EID tags to ‘UK’ before uploading movement notifications to the Animal and Public Health Information System database (APHIS). CPR operators should have amended their software to ensure that their software also recognises ‘899’ when reading sheep and goat EID tags in the new format and translates this to ‘XI’ before upload.
Depending on when tags were issued, there will be livestock in circulation for the foreseeable future identified either with ‘UK’ or ‘XI’ prefix codes and both will be accepted as forms of identification, valid at the time of application. Sheep and goats could be presented at CPRs with ‘XI/899’ tags soon after the switchover date, as well as animals tagged with old ‘UK/826’ tags, so software should be able to read and translate both.- Question - Do farmers need to apply the new ‘XI’ tag to all their existing herd/flock?
Answer – No, there is no requirement to re-identify all livestock previously identified with ‘UK’ prefixed tags.
However, if you plan to export animals to continental Europe, it is recommended that these tags should be replaced with 'XI' tags to reduce the risk of the animals being deemed ineligible by the recipient Member State. See Q. 13 to 16.
If re-identifying cattle with 'XI' tags this must be done under DAERA or OV/OVI supervision and correlated on NIFAIS prior to export.
If re-identifying sheep with 'XI' tags prior ro export, this can be done by the keeper themselves and correlated in the flock register.
If you wish to export livestock to continental Europe, and there is any reason you believe it is not possible to re-identify your animal, such as pedigree registration, contact the DAERA Trade Export team via email: daeratradeexports@daera-ni.gov.uk for further advice.
- Question - Do farmers need to apply a new ‘XI’ tag to animals when replacing an original ‘UK’ tag which has been lost or damaged?
Answer – If an animal was tagged at birth with a double set of ‘UK’ 9 prefix tags (cattle), and loses a tag in one ear, the keeper should order a replacement tag as normal from their tag supplier. The replacement tag will be exactly the same as the original tag, even if ordered after the switchover to the new ‘XI’ code.
For example, if an animal was identified at birth on 01/03/2023 with tag number
UK 9 123456 1234 5, and the keeper notices one tag missing and orders a replacement on 01/11/2024, the replacement tag will also read
UK 9 123456 1234 5.- Question - What happens if an animal needs to be re-identified?Answer – There are no plans to require the re-identification of all animals previously identified with ‘UK' prefix tags, with new ‘XI’ tags. However, re-identification is recommended for animals being exported to continental Europe - see Q. 12.
If an animal has to be re-identified for any reason:
- From week commencing 24th June until the switchover date (27 January 2025) it can be re-identified using a Northern Ireland issued 'UK' or 'XI' tag; or
- After the switch over date (27 January 2025) it can only be re-identified using the new 'XI' format.
Note: from week commencing 24th June, only 'XI' tags can be purchased from tag suppliers, but livestock keepers may use existing stocks of 'UK' tags they hold until 27th January 2025.
Therefore, if a bovine animal has lost both sets of original 'UK' tags, or it is a GB import, it will be identified with an entirely new number, as happens currently, it may or may not be possible to correlate with its old 'UK' 9 number.
For example:
A bovine animal was tagged at birth on 01/03/2023 with tag number: UK 9 123456 1234 5, and it is discovered on 01/04/2025 to have lost both its ear tags, it will be issued with new tags in the format: XI 0 123456 1987 6.
- Question – What is required to export animals to the European Union (EU)?
Answer – For any animal born and identified in Northern Ireland after 20th April 2023, EU Animal Health Law requires the use of 'XI' tags as the official identifiers. Therefore it is recommended that any animals identified with 'UK' tags that are being exported to continental Europe, should have them replaced with new official 'XI' tags prior to export (see Q. 12 for further details). This will avoid the risk that they could be deemed ineligible by the recipient Member State.
DAERA recommends that 'XI' prefixed tags are applied to newborn animals from week commencing 24th June 2024, particularly if it is likely that the animals will be exported in the furture.
If you have questions regarding exporting animals to Europe, information can be found on the DAERA Exports webpage found here.
For further questions please contact the DAERA Trade Export team via email: daeratradeexports@daera-ni.gov.uk
- Question – What is required to move animals to Great Britain (GB)?
Answer – Livestock to be moved from NI to GB, must be officially tagged with either ‘UK’ or ‘XI’ prefixed tags. DAERA consider such animals to have full traceable IDs for domestic movement purposes.
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Question – Will NI livestock still be classified as UK origin?
Answer - There will be no change to the status of NI livestock or how they are classified, as they still originate from NI as part of the UK . ‘XI’ will only be a code on livestock tags to allow animals to be appropriately identified and to be traced to their holding of origin in NI.
- Question - Will farmers need to switch from the old ‘UK’ tags to new ‘XI’ tags on other species?
Answer – There are not currently any plans to switch to the ‘XI’ tags for species other than cattle, sheep and goats.
In future, it will be a requirement to identify Camelid and Cervid animals with a form of identification bearing the code ‘XI’. This is not a change to old tags, but rather a new requirement to have these animal identified as per the requirements of the AHL. - Question - What if I have animals born the day before switchover?
Answer – It will be a mandatory requirement to tag all newborn cattle, sheep and goats with new ‘XI’ prefixed tags from the switchover date on 27th January 2025. Cattle born and tagged before this date may be tagged with the old ‘UK’ tags and have the details logged onto the NIFAIS system before the switchover date. DAERA recommends that 'XI' prefixed tags are applied to newborn animals from week commencing 24th June 2024, particularly if it is likely that the animal will be exported in the future.
- Question – What about stocks of tags bearing the ‘UK’ prefix from January 2025?
Answer – Where keepers have unused 'UK' prefixed cattle tags remaining at the end of the transition period, provisionally expected on 27 January 2025 (to be confirmed later this year), all such tags which have not been used to register a birth by that date will have their status on NIFAIS updated from ‘UNUSED’ to ‘WITHDRAWN’ and keepers will no longer be able to register births against those numbers. Therefore, stocks of ‘UK’ prefix tags held by livestock keepers must be used on animals born before this date, otherwise they will become obsolete.
All new 'XI' tags issued by tag suppliers will carry on in sequence from the last tag number issued. Old unused 'UK' tags will not be re-issued with the same numbers, substituting 'UK' for' XI'.
The Department, therefore, advise that in advance of the rollout of the new 'XI' tags week commencing 24 June 2024, keepers should not order large quantities of ‘UK’ tags that cannot be used from January 2025.
- Question - Are tag suppliers ready for the change?
Answer – Yes, tag manufacturers and suppliers have been informed about the new code and will make the necessary changes to their systems to accommodate the new ‘XI’ prefix on tags. Tag suppliers will not be in a position to commence issuing tags with the new code until week commencing 24th June 2024.
- Question – Will compensation be available for stocks of old tags bearing the ‘UK’ prefix?
Answer – There will be no compensation available for obsolete tags, therefore keepers are being reminded that they should not order a supply of ‘UK’ prefixed tags which they will not be able to use by 27th January 2025.