Scottish Sheep EID Research Pilot

In order to ensure you buy the most suitable tags for your purposes there are a few factors you should consider.

• Delivery time
  • Some tag suppliers will have a shorter delivery time than others and you should always order well in advance. If you need tags quickly it is recommended that you contact the ScotEID Information Centre (01466 794323) for advice on the current delivery times for the various suppliers.
• Retention
  • Some farmers have found the retention rates of tags can be poor, especially around netting wire and creep feeders. Some tag designs may prove to be retained better than others. Others within the farming community may be able to provide advice. We need further evidence on this so if you experience any issues please complete this form. Tag retention is primarily an issue for breeding sheep or if you are using farm management software. If your sheep are intended for slaughter/market then they can be tagged shortly before departure so this will be less of an issue (however it may be an issue for the person who buys the sheep!).
• Convenience
  • One of the most debated issues during the first phase of the pilot was the time required to insert the tags. One-piece tags are generally the easiest to apply, especially the magazine fed tags. When double tagging some button tags may have the animal identifier written on the male and the female part. This will require you to match the male part with the female part which may be time consuming.
• Cost
  • This is pretty obvious but, in some cases it may be worth spending more
• EID read range
  • If you are moving your sheep to a CCP and you do not have an EID reader you do not need to worry about this. The read range will vary greatly from tag to tag. A general rule of thumb is that the bigger the tag the longer the read range. However, there will be exceptions to this rule.
• Ease of visual reading
  • If you do not have an EID reader but wish to identify your sheep then the ease with which the tag can be visually read is very important. This is most likely to affect those putting their sheep to shows.
• Size/Weight
  • It is very important that you choose a size and weight of tag that is suitable to the animal you are tagging. If you are tagging small lambs it is recommended that you specifically request lamb tags from your supplier.

  In my opinion if you are tagging your lambs shortly before selling them your main considerations should be to use EID tag(s) appropriate to the size and age of the lambs, based on advice from your supplier/manufacturer, as well as delivery times and costs.
  
  I would also strongly recommend you order your tags now to avoid problems with tag availability.