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The tagging of cattle:

what are you doing to my calf?

Dr James Irvine

Teviot Scientific, Cultybraggan Farm, Comrie, Perthshire

Filed 04 July 04

It is inspection time on the farm by officials from the Scottish Executive Environmental and Rural Department (SEERAD). Their task is to check the tags in the ears of the cattle, to see that everything tallies with what their records say that the farm has and to ensure that any claims for subsidy meet their requirements.

The only means of identification of a bovine that is acceptable to SEERAD (or DEFRA) continues to be the archaic method of tags in the animals' ears: one small ministry tag and another tag that can be read at a distance. Not surprisingly, such tags get detached from the beasts' ears. There is serious trouble if a bovine should be found by the officials to be missing both tags. In such a situation the beast is liable to be rendered valueless and additional financial penalties are likely to be imposed on the farmer.

Figure 1:

This limousin cross heifer calf looks innocent enough but young calves can be very athletic.
It is easier to catch them when they are one or two days old, but their mothers can be aggressively protective.
The ministry tag is on the left and the larger secondary tag is on the right.
The tags used here are Shearwell tags, the only supplier I know who will replace their tags for free should they come out
(For an enlarged picture Click Here)

It is greatly to be regretted that such painfully slow progress has been made in terms of the government authorities agreeing on a suitable microchip to enable them to decide what kind of microchip - and what information it should hold - would have their official approval. Also yet to be established is a method of attaching to the animal whatever tagging device is used so that it stays with the animal throughout its life. The tag also needs to be easily read - either visually or by a convenient hand held computer device - so that it fulfils the needs of the different people working in the livestock industry, including the farmer, auctioneer, abattoir and government officials.

As a consequence a great deal of farm staff time is spent repeatedly checking ear tags in cattle. Generally this involves bringing the herd off the hill into a holding area and putting the beasts through a cattle crush so that the tags can be read by naked eye.

There are electronic tagging systems available but sadly as yet none of them have official approval. So even if the farmer has invested in an electronic system, the animals have also got to carry the mandatory two types of tags in their ears. It would appear that over the past six years and longer very little tangible progress has been made in the techniques of cattle identification.

High risk to stockmen

It is a requirement that all calves be tagged within twenty days from birth. As healthy calves become incredibly mobile and strong within a few days, it is usual for the stockman to try and tag a calf as soon after birth as possible. Otherwise he may need to bring the whole group of cattle in the field into a holding area and get the calf into a safe corner.

A livestock farmer is not very likely to report injuries to himself from his own cattle to the Health and Safety Executive, as it is understandably perceived that to do such a thing would only add more trouble to a difficult situation. Basically the Health and Safety Executive had their heads buried in the sand when they previously denied that a serious problem exists simply because they were not receiving official notification. But then tagging of calves at an early age was government policy, so perhaps Health and Safety issues were conveniently ignored so as not to make difficulties in relation to what other government departments were trying to do.

Figure 2:

What are you doing to my calf?
Note how the ears are forward, the look is intense and there is frothing at the mouth.
She has probably just finished a heavy session of bawling
(For an enlarged picture Click Here)

Animal stress

The stress to cattle when separated from their calves can be seen in relatively mild form even when older cattle are managed in a holding area, being separated from their calves while tags are checked by stockmen with whom they are familiar (Figure 1).

It is for the same reason that it is so dangerous for the public to go walking - especially with a dog - through a field of cows with calves. If a member of the public - either inadvertently or through ignorance - gets between a cow and its calf, then a vicious attack on that person is more likely than not even although the cow is normally of placid nature. In terms of the Land Reform (Scotland) Act insufficient emphasis is placed on this hazard. Again, the problem is largely brushed aside: to emphasise it would interfere with the government's plan to open up virtually all farmland as a public park with essentially no park keepers (other than the farmers themselves but who carry no authority as far as the public is concerned).

Finis