UK Sheep EID Update

The 1^st January 2015 is moving ever closer.  If you need a concise reminder of the changes to the sheep identification and recording rules for England, have a look at this leaflet from South Western who manage the ARAMS database for DEFRA.  South Western got a bad press over the electronic reporting system when the ARAMS service was launched back in April and while things have undoubtedly improved, there are still many sheep farmers who say they find it difficult to use.

UK Sheep EID Update

In November we also spoke with the ARAMS technical helpdesk who advised that an electronic holding register is due out before the end of the year (2014).  One of the main features of this new enhancement is the ability to download movements that have been reported on ARAMS (e.g. by a market), into the individual farm’s flock register.

One potential problem here arises from the fact that many markets (acting as a Central Point Recording Centre – CPRC) will always scan the tags of the sheep being sold, regardless of whether the farmer supplies his own list of individual numbers (on a stick reader or on paper).  If market list contains inaccuracies – for example due to a mis-read of a tag – then that incorrect list will be notified to ARAMS and hence the sheep Flock Register would contain inaccuracies.  This is significant because the farmer is held responsible by DEFRA for the accuracy of his Flock Register, and any problems at the time of a farm inspection could lead to cross compliance penalties.

Since many prime lamb producers sell through markets, safeguarding the accuracy of their flock register is surely a big concern.  I recently spoke to a representative at Melton Mowbray livestock, who told me that they advise farmers to scan their own tags of all sheep brought to the market for sale.

Typically, this list is printed out and stapled to the movement document.  The market staff will still go ahead and scan the tags again because they need to go into the market’s own software system for notifying to ARAMS.  This list can be useful as a cross-reference check if the market scanning process contains mis-reads or other problems.

If the farmer doesn’t scan his own tags, he can continue to batch record on the movement document (total for each flock mark).  The market will scan the tags and give the printed list to the farmer with the advice that he double-checks the list against the animals before they are moved from the market premises.

To discuss any concerns you have regarding this UK Sheep EID Update and to find out how our Sheep Software can help maintain your flock records then contact us on 01536 443300

Orchid Farm Tech – FarmWizard Specialists – Dairy Software – Beef Cattle Software – Sheep Software – Farm Resistant Hardware – Farm Software Support

Tel: 01536 443300 Email: info@orchidfarmtech.co.uk