[Jacob-list] tags

[gordon johnston]

Hi Melanie
We have had tagging laws in Britain for a while now.  What we have found is that they keep moving the goalposts.  Hopefully Canada is better organised !  What would happen is that I would buy in a batch of tags, say 100, thinking they would last for ages, but before we were halfway through them the rules changed requiring us to get more.  (First time, they just had to have our individual holding number on, then they had to have the holding number plus an individual number, then the individual number had to have six digits, even if the first three were 000 !  They tried to make it so that each animal had two tags for extra security but the Scottish hill farmers have finally dug in their heels).

Choosing the right type of tag can be difficult as some are easier to lose than others.  What we do now is to put in a temporary 'turkey wing tag', which is like a tiny metal padlock which can be put in with your fingers so you don't have to buy yet another applicator, as soon as each lamb is born - this gives them an individual number so we know who is who.  Later, for us just before they leave our property, we put in a permanent tag.  For those going straight to slaughter this is the cheapest type we could find ; for those we are keeping or selling on for breeding, we put in a fairly expensive version, circular with a central pin which clips the two halves together on each side of the ear. We also have to have 'replacement tags' for any animals we have bought in but wish to sell on, but which do not have their original tags or were born before the laws came in.

To find a supplier, just look in the farming press.  When our tagging laws first came in it was surprising how quickly and efficiently the companies scaled up to cope, and how quickly they can provide the required tags.  Some companies have no minimum order, so you can get just a few while you suss out which type you will prefer.  Everybody has their favourites and I think part of it depends on your farm - we have wire mesh fences which are notorious for pulling the tags out.

Juliet in Scotland UK
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