From Monday 7 September, herd owners in NI will be able to identify newborn calves with approved electronic identification (EID) ear tags.

EID is being introduced on a voluntary basis, although a previous DAERA public consultation published at the end of 2025 did suggest that all calves would have to be EID tagged from 2027 onwards.

“The findings [from the consultation] are currently being considered, prior to making any recommendations to the minister on proposals for mandatory EID,” states an online DAERA document.

The EID tags are white to differentiate from conventional yellow tags. Where a button tag is used, it will be all white, but if applying a normal flag set, the front must be white, but the rear leaf can be yellow or white. It will be possible to buy an EID tag capable of taking a tissue sample for use in the Bovine Genetics Project.

For those who opt for EID, there is no requirement to re-identify the rest of the herd with EID tags. However, if so desired, an EID replacement tag can be applied to other animals on the farm. Only those cattle identified with the XI prefix (introduced in June 2024) are compatible with EID requirements. For older cattle with UK9 prefix tags, the format cannot be converted to EID.

Cost

According to the department, EID tags are expected to cost between £1.50 and £2 more than conventional tags, while devices to read EID tags typically cost around £600. There are no plans within DAERA to subsidise these costs.

Announcing the introduction of the voluntary EID tagging, Agriculture Minister Andrew Muir pointed out that NI is the first UK region to make cattle EID available and said it has the potential to support more accurate, efficient and safer recording of cattle movements.