Official Report: Minutes of Evidence

The Chairperson (Mr Butler): I welcome the following officials to brief the Committee and answer any questions: Mr Neal Gartland, director of animal health and welfare policy; Mr Christopher Andrews, deputy director of animal health and welfare policy; and Mr Darrin Fullerton, head of livestock identification and germinal products policy. Thank you so much, gentlemen. Please feel free to brief the Committee.

Mr Neal Gartland (Department of Agriculture, Environment and Rural Affairs): Thank you, Chair, and good morning, members of the Committee. I welcome the opportunity to brief the Committee on the statutory rule (SR) Cattle Identification (No. 2) (Amendment) Regulations (Northern Ireland) 2026, which enables the voluntary introduction of electronic identification (EID) for cattle here. My colleagues and I will seek to answer any questions that members may have. Members will have received a detailed written briefing, so I will endeavour to keep my remarks short and to the point.

Cattle in Northern Ireland are identified using conventional ear tags that display a unique identification number that is read visually. To be clear, the SR will permit that to remain. It only allows a completely optional choice of an EID tag should farmers and herdkeepers wish. The system underpins our traceability regime and supports the recording of births, deaths, movements and information about disease testing. The identification regime is well established, functional and understood by those who use it. It is widely recognised, however, that EID offers opportunities to simplify the capture and recording of animal information by reducing errors associated with misreading visual tags and improving efficiency across farms, markets and abattoirs.

Electronic identification is simply a different way of identifying animals and recording their identification number. The ear tag contains a microchip that stores the unique ID number. That number can then be read automatically using compatible equipment such as a tag reader. That eliminates the need for a person to read across and record the number manually, which reduces transcription errors and the need to handle the animal. Northern Ireland is aligned with European rules for livestock identification, which state that the use of EID is optional. Where EID is used, however, European legislation sets out the specific technical standards that must be used. For cattle, that means using low-frequency EID devices. Low-frequency EID has been used in Northern Ireland and the rest of the UK to identify sheep since 2010. The same technical standards have been used in the Republic of Ireland to identify cattle since 2022. That is the technology that England and Wales have committed to adopting when they roll out EID of newborn cattle on a mandatory basis some time in 2027. Scotland has indicated that it intends to introduce EID from 2027 but using high-frequency technology.

What does the statutory rule do? As the Committee will be aware, there was a recent consultation on proposals for mandatory EID in Northern Ireland. It is important to note that this is an entirely separate initiative. The statutory rule does not make EID mandatory. It introduces no new obligations for herdkeepers and does not pre-empt any future decision on the prospect of making EID for cattle mandatory. We will provide a separate briefing to members on that consultation once the responses have been considered fully and any subsequent ministerial decisions, as necessary, have been made. Rather, this legislation makes minor technical amendments to existing domestic cattle identification regulations. The changes will enable herdkeepers to choose to use EID ear tags only if they wish to do so. I emphasise that the decision to use EID will rest entirely with the herdkeeper.

The Department considers a voluntary approach to be appropriate at this stage for four main reasons. First, as I have stated, it provides choice and flexibility, allowing those who want to adopt EID to do so without imposing change on the rest of the industry. Secondly, it responds to requests from parts of the wider agri-food sector to facilitate the introduction of official EID devices. Thirdly, it supports a phased transition should Northern Ireland move to mandatory EID for newborn cattle in the future. Although no decision has been taken on the matter — it was only recently consulted on — that would give the industry time to adapt, invest in equipment, if needed, and observe the benefits in practice. Finally, it complements the bovine genetics project that is expected to be rolled out from September. Under the project, tissue sampling tags would therefore also incorporate EID functionality for those who wish to use it.

It is important to be clear about both the benefits and costs of voluntary EID. The use of EID can improve the efficiency and accuracy of livestock identification by reducing reliance on the manual reading and recording of tag numbers. In practice, that means less handling of animals at key points in the supply chain, including on farms, at abattoirs and at markets, with benefits for animal welfare and the health and safety of those handling cattle. Alongside electronic reporting, it can improve traceability and support a faster, more accurate response to disease outbreaks, with benefits for public health and consumer confidence. Beyond identification and traceability, EID can enable technologies such as automated calf feeding, in-parlour feeding, milk recording, robotic milking and weight-monitoring systems. Integrating the technology into daily operations can improve herd management by, for example, supporting weight tracking, informing sale or feeding decisions and enabling faster identification of health issues. However, the benefits primarily arise for herdkeepers who choose to adopt the technology.

There are cost considerations, but, again, those apply only to those who choose to adopt EID, as the SR only brings in the option of using EID on a completely voluntary basis. The cost of an EID tag is estimated to be between £1·50 and £2 more than that of a conventional tag. There is no requirement to purchase readers or other equipment, and equipment that is already in use for sheep EID should be compatible with cattle. For the Department, costs are limited to minor system updates that are estimated to be around £10,000. While individual benefits may outweigh the costs for adopters, it is generally accepted that the full, industry-wide benefits of EID will be realised only when adoption becomes more widespread. That is likely to happen over several years and will potentially follow a future move to mandatory use for newborn calves, if DAERA and the Minister determine to advance that policy in the future.

As noted, the statutory rule enables voluntary uptake only and introduces no new obligations. As such, a formal public consultation is not required. Engagement has taken place with the industry as part of the wider consultation on mandatory EID. Overall, there was broad support for EID in that consultation, albeit there were some concerns about potential additional tag costs if it is introduced on a mandatory basis in the future.

To conclude, the statutory rule enables the voluntary use in Northern Ireland of EID for cattle. It is a proportionate and low-risk change that provides choice, supports innovation and allows the industry to adopt new technology at its own pace. It introduces no new requirements on herdkeepers and does not pre-empt any future decisions on mandatory EID. Thank you, Chair. We are happy to take questions.

The Chairperson (Mr Butler): Thank you very much. You said that there is no need for on-farm readers. Can you talk me through the process for a small farmer who wants to do it? How will that happen? It is a way of capturing the information digitally. Is the animal and public health information system already enabled to take the data?

Mr Gartland: I will bring in Chris on its operation, if that is OK.

Mr Christopher Andrews (Department of Agriculture, Environment and Rural Affairs): A small farmer can still record tags and movements on paper and send that information to the Department as normal. They can read the tag visually and note down the number. We are upfront about the fact that the immediate efficiencies and benefits will arise at markets or abattoirs where the technology can be used to process animals quickly by scanning their tag automatically. That is the difference.

We said in the briefing that a number of farmers across Northern Ireland will already be familiar with EID. They tend to be farmers with bigger herds and herds in the dairy sector. As it stands, we do not expect widespread uptake among smaller herdkeepers, and that is why it is voluntary. It is a decision for people to make. In the first instance, it will probably be something that farmers who are progressive, who are technology orientated or who already have some of the technology will try to latch on to.

The Chairperson (Mr Butler): I will ask a basic question to try to get a picture of the scheme. If the new tag is used, there will be no need for the historical tag; is that right? Or does the farmer need to use two tags?

Mr Andrews: There will be a requirement to have two tags: the conventional plastic tag with a printed number and an electronic tag with a microchip, which will also have a visual number on it. If you have the equipment, you will be able to scan your animal, and the number will be recorded. If you do not have the equipment, you will still have the conventional plastic tag with your unique identification number printed on it.

The Chairperson (Mr Butler): At the moment, and if you do not volunteer for EID, there is just one tag.

Mr Andrews: You have two conventional plastic tags.

The Chairperson (Mr Butler): With EID, it will be one conventional tag and one electronic tag.

Mr Andrews: Yes, it will have an electronic chip.

The Chairperson (Mr Butler): I am trying to tease it out to make sure that there is just an additional cost of £1·50 or £2 and not an additional tag, which is not the same thing.

Mr Andrews: All animals currently have two tags. You will now be given the choice to change one of the tags from a conventional plastic tag to an electronic identification tag.

The Chairperson (Mr Butler): The system is mandatory in the Republic, and it is anticipated that it will be mandatory in GB.

Mr Andrews: Yes. Cattle identification across England, Scotland and Wales is a devolved matter, so those jurisdictions make their own decisions, but they all intend to introduce some form of mandatory electronic tagging from about 2027.

The Chairperson (Mr Butler): Finally, is there any cost recovery for a farmer who wants to participate in the scheme?

Mr Gartland: Not at present, because the scheme is voluntary and optional. Concerns were raised in the consultation about mandatory introduction, and that will have to be considered when we come to advise the Minister about any future decision. However, given the optional nature of the scheme, there is no cost recovery as part of the SR.

The Chairperson (Mr Butler): OK. Thank you very much.

Mr McAleer: I declare an interest: I own a few Angus cattle with fancy yellow tags.

The Chairperson (Mr Butler): It is a small herd, you say?

Mr McAleer: It is a small herd. [Laughter.]

Could technology be developed to allow an iPhone to be used to scan the tag? Could that come in to make it really convenient in the field?

Mr Gartland: In any of our engagement, I have not heard of that as a potential development. I am sure that, as with all technological developments, it may be looked at, but, at the moment, you need to have a reader.

Mr Darrin Fullerton (Department of Agriculture, Environment and Rural Affairs): The reader could link to an iPhone. In markets in the Republic, they walk down reading the numbers, and the numbers show up on their iPad or whatever.

Mr McAleer: You can see how convenient QR codes on iPhones are in all sorts of circumstances nowadays.

EID is mandatory in the South of Ireland. Will EID being brought in here make the movement of cattle between North and South easier?

Mr Andrews: The big advantage is that, if a farmer from the North identifies their cattle electronically and decides to take them to a market in the South, where the technology is already in place, the animal’s tags will be read automatically there, as the system will be totally interoperable. It will not negate the need to do movement reporting and all the other documentation that goes with moving cattle from North to South, but we will all be using the same technology and the same standards. There will be some minor efficiencies, but I would not want to say that it will remove any of the current paper-based requirements. There will still be a need for health certificates, movement documents and things like that.

Mr McAleer: Will the systems North and South be integrated?

Mr Andrews: Yes. It is exactly the same low-frequency technology. The devices that we will put into cattle ears here will be the same as the devices that they put into cattle ears in the South. The same technology that they have in markets and abattoirs in the South will be used in markets and abattoirs here.

Mr McAleer: Thank you.

Mr Wilson: Will the electronic tags tighten up security for farmers and limit the opportunities for malpractice and fraud in the movement of cattle? Is the view that the electronic tags are more difficult to tamper with and that that will tighten that up, or is it purely about the ease of reading the number?

Mr Andrews: I would be very hesitant about saying that it will be transformative or tighten up in relation to fraud. At the end of the day, it is just a tag. If somebody wants to do something nefarious or dodgy with that tag, they can still do so. They can still try to break the tag open and replace it. EID is more about trying to generate efficiencies when reading tags and reduce error by moving away from the manual transcription of numbers.

Mr Wilson: Will the Department load in the number — the technological bit of it — itself?

Mr Andrews: The number on the chip has to conform to an international standard. That number is allocated by the Department and encoded on the chip. It can be produced only by tag printers and manufacturers that are authorised by the Department. You could not go on to, for example, a third-party overseas site and order a load —

Mr Wilson: You could not manipulate that in some way.

Mr Andrews: — of tags. You have to use official tags from official tag suppliers that are authorised by DAERA and then connected to the Northern Ireland food animal information system (NIFAIS).

Mr T Buchanan: At the minute, it is voluntary. Do you see it becoming mandatory in future?

Mr Gartland: We are considering the responses to the consultation, which asked for views on mandatory introduction. There has been no decision on that yet. We imagine that the Minister will have final advice in the autumn for a future decision. If a decision is made to introduce it, we will come back to update you, but no decision has been made on that yet.

The Chairperson (Mr Butler): What assurance can the Department provide that the system will be ready for implementation in July 2026?

Mr Fullerton: We are waiting on the NIFAIS changes. Bringing this in depends on the legislation and the NIFAIS changes. The other day, we heard that, basically, the NIFAIS changes are ready. Those will be rolled out to tag suppliers, who will get a period of maybe six to eight weeks to ensure that their systems are compatible. The latest date that we have for roll-out is the start of August. We should be ready for it in August.

The Chairperson (Mr Butler): OK. Thank you very much, gentlemen. I really appreciate that.

Members, following on from what we have heard today, and bearing in mind that the SL1 stage is the last opportunity for the Committee to influence the policy approach, are members content that we have sufficient information to make a formal decision on the draft SR?

The Chairperson (Mr Butler): Thank you, members.

Are members agreed that the Committee for Agriculture, Environment and Rural Affairs has considered the SL1 on the Cattle Identification (No. 2) (Amendment) Regulations (Northern Ireland) 2026 and has no objection to the rule, subject to the Examiner of Statutory Rule's report?