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Tag manufacturers in Northern Ireland have been informed that there will be a further temporary suspension of the authorisation of new and replacement cattle tags this coming weekend.
From 12 noon on Saturday, 17 June 2017, until 9:00am on Monday, 19 June 2017, tag manufacturers will not be able to seek authorisation from the Department of Agriculture, Environment and Rural Affairs (DAERA) to produce new or replacement cattle tags.
Supply
Farmers are advised to ensure they have an adequate supply of new tags for any calves to be tagged and registered over this specific weekend.
They are also advised to check that all animals to be moved off farm between these dates are double tagged and purchase replacement tags in advance if required. The authorisation of sheep tags will not be affected.
This is the second time that tagging authorisation facilities have been suspended, after they were suspended last weekend too.
DAERA has said that this second suspension is required to facilitate the implementation of the first phase of the new Northern Ireland Food Animal Information System (NIFAIS) database.
The NIFAIS database is being developed to replace the current APHIS database. Development is being completed and released in stages, with an expected completion date of 2019.
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