Despite reports that there has been a significant increase in the number of cattle excluded from the food chain on the back of new rules around animal identity, figures obtained by the Irish Farmers Journal suggest that is not the case.

On enquiry, a DAERA spokesperson confirmed that since 1 May 2017, and up to the middle of June, five cattle were excluded from the food chain in NI because the identity of the animal could not be reasonably determined. While the number is small, it should be recognised that for those farmers involved, it is still a big financial hit.

According to sources in the meat trade, most farmers have been able to resolve issues around animal identity before slaughter.

As part of the new rules, where an animal has a questionable identification status, meat plant staff in the lairage are required to conduct further checks around breed, colour, age (dentition), etc. To be fit for human consumption, the identification of the animal must be “reasonably ascertainable”.

The advice to farmers is to check herd lists (available online or at a DAERA office). Staff in a DAERA office can advise farmers on what additional information is required to either correct a discrepancy or, where possible, remove a status.

Where an animal is being moved to slaughter, farmers should contact the meat plant beforehand.

The local DAERA office can also provide herd-keepers with a document containing additional information held on APHIS that will assist meat plant staff in their checks.

Review

The new rules were introduced this spring following a review by the Food Standards Agency. The three main statuses to watch out for are an identification query (IDQ), no birth notification (NNO) and a date of birth query (DOBQ). Animals with these statuses applied cannot move to a mart for sale, only to direct slaughter.

It is understood that around 15,000 cattle in NI currently are marked on APHIS with one of these statuses. About one third have an IDQ status, and the majority are because the animal had the wrong sex applied at birth.

On enquiry, the DAERA spokesperson confirmed that the Department will permit the removal of the IDQ status where the sex was wrongly recorded provided:

  • The animal is still in the natal herd.
  • There is no conflicting evidence on APHIS such as a calving event or a cattle identification inspection (CII) test.

    • In the case of an animal with a NNO status (birth notified after more than 27 days), it will remain in place unless there were exceptional circumstances why the animal was registered late. The other option is to use DNA to establish a link between a calf and its dam.

    Resolving a DOBQ might be more difficult if it was applied because there were grounds to believe the registered date of birth was incorrect, confirmed the spokesperson.

    The advice to herd owners, to avoid problems, is to register calves accurately and on time, obtain replacement tags when tags are lost, and maintain an up-to-date register.