Cattle which have changed ownership more than three times are being subject to a penalty by processors, similar to the Republic of Ireland. The penalty can be much as much £60 (€84) per animal.

However, it has now emerged that auctioneers are refusing to announce the number of animal movements until clarity from processors is given, the Livestock Auctioneers Association (LAA) has revealed. This comes despite pressure from finishers who are required to know movements before selling cattle for slaughter.

Chris Dodds, Executive Secretary of the LAA, said: "Finishers around the ring will understandably want to know how many times the stores they are buying have moved during their lifetime so as to avoid a deduction when they sell them on to the abattoir.

"But we need to know what the abattoirs consider a movement to be," Dodds said.

"Until we get clarity, marts will not announce the number of moves animals have completed. Abattoirs need to communicate their needs clearly and consistently as the marts are not prepared to be responsible for potential charges or compensation payments due to errors outside of their control," Dodds added.