Cattle and EID (electronic Identification)

Currently there is NO official EID tag and NO official requirement to fit an EID tag. As of MAY 2024 although the UK government is looking to introduce mandatory EID for cattle there is as yet NO date. It is unlikely to be before the end of 2025. There is some talk of UHF tags but it may only be a rumour.

EID cattle tags are widely available and there is little difference in the cost. EID in cattle is also not new with many dairy farmers using electronic identification in parlour systems for several years. The main difference is they tend not to be WYSIWYG, so there are issues with linking EID's to the cattle tag.

For the beef farmer who wishes to collect data on calving, weights, treatments or movements, it can save considerable time. Allowing you to do more recording and removing the need to then type in the information, thus removing the possible errors. However getting close to your cattle to read a tag can be a problem, especially if the animals is not in a crash or race.

FarmIT 3000 allows you to use EID with a hand held reader or Tru-test weigh head with panel EID reader. And utilises the same equipment as you may use for sheep. So if your buying an EID reader to collect sheep data why not use it on your cows.

We can also link an EID reader to our FarmIT Mobile App for andriod tablets or phones, or our FarmIT Management Console running on a PC next to your cattle crush.