A recent update to the European Commission’s TRACES system means that it is now mandatory when transporting animals to and from Northern Ireland to register the premises of departure and premises of destination on TRACES in advance of the movement.

For all upcoming sales, sellers and exhibitors of cattle at pedigree sales must contact their local district veterinary office (DVO) to get set up on TRACES before they can sell an animal for export.

Approval

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For Northern Ireland customers, they must contact their local DVO (DAERA) and get approved as a bovine establishment and as an importer before being allowed to purchase animals from the Republic of Ireland.

Registrations should be done within business hours because if the process is not complete prior to the sale of animals, there may be delays in getting the animals exported, as a result, as it will not be possible to generate a health certificate on the TRACES system.

This applies to all exports to Northern Ireland

Registration of farms in the Republic of Ireland can be completed by contacting the local regional veterinary office of the Department of Agriculture, while the local DAERA regional office should be contacted to register a premises in Northern Ireland.

To make sure that there are no delays, both the buyer and the seller should ensure in advance of the sale that the premises of origin and destination have been registered on TRACES.

Once a premises has been correctly registered as an establishment of origin or destination, this will allow it to be selected on the certificate for each movement and they will not need to re-register.

The steps to getting registered are very straightforward and can be done online once you contact you your local DVO.

However, it is now mandatory for both buyers and sellers to register so it is best to do this ahead of time to avoid delays.