A Scottish farm which was found to have animals that were "unidentifiable and untraceable" has decided to slaughter its 271 cattle.

A cattle identification and traceability inspection at Falkland Estate in Fife by the Scottish government found the farm was non-compliant with the rules around registering births and cattle movements on the ScotEID system.

“Identification and traceability regulations for livestock must be adhered with for disease prevention, control, eradication and the protection of public health,” a Scottish government spokesperson said.

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“During the inspection, 271 animals were found to be unidentifiable and untraceable, which means they cannot enter the food chain and are placed under a permanent movement restriction.

“In this case, the business has taken the difficult decision to slaughter the animals – Scottish government inspectors will attend to verify the slaughter.”

The farm is located north of Edinburgh in the east of the country and specialises in producing organic meat, with lamb and beef fed and finished for the most part from grass.

Aberdeen Angus, Belted Galloway cows and calves plus Texel and Scottish Blackface sheep can be found across the estate, according to its website.

Deeply distressing

Ninian Stuart, the chair of Falkland Rural Enterprises Ltd, which runs the estate, said that those involved are devastated by the outcome and that it is a deeply distressing situation for everyone involved.

We fully accept responsibility for the failures in management and oversight that have led us to this point

"What began as concerns identified during a routine veterinary inspection developed into a far more serious issue than anyone initially anticipated.

"As the scale of the problem became clear, we took the decision to involve the Scottish government and work openly and transparently with the relevant authorities to establish the facts and determine the appropriate course of action,” he said.

"The estate team has worked tirelessly alongside government officials, veterinary advisers and external specialists throughout this investigation. While the findings are deeply regrettable, investigating and addressing the matter fully was essential.

"We fully accept responsibility for the failures in management and oversight that have led us to this point. The standards expected of our business were not met and for that I am sincerely sorry.

Loss

"The loss of livestock on this scale is something none of us ever wanted to see and we recognise the profound impact it has had on our staff, our neighbours and the wider community that has long supported the estate,” he said.

Stuart added that the farm is committed to learning every lesson from this situation and putting in place the systems, controls and oversight necessary to ensure it can never happen again.