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With just two weeks to go before the current contract for the supply of cattle identification tags expires, only one tag supply firm has applied for approval under the new rules, according to the Department of Agriculture.
“The Department has been in regular contact with tag suppliers in relation to the requirements of the approval process,” it stated.
“Some of these have indicated their intention to submit an application,” it said.
The matter is urgent because herd owners are now preparing to order tag sets in advance of cows calving. November is the peak month for tag orders, followed by December. In recent years, farmers have ordered up to 650,000 tag sets in November and another 450,000 sets in December.
The Department did not identify which company has applied for approval, but the Irish Farmers Journal understands it is Mullinahone Co-op. No comment was available from the Tipperary co-op this week.
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