Manufacturers and suppliers of ear tags for cattle, sheep and goats: what you need to do
How to register to become an ear tag manufacturer or supplier, and get new or modified ear tags approved.
All cattle (this includes bison and buffalo), sheep and goats in the UK must be fitted with officially approved ear tags, bought from a registered manufacturer or supplier.
Register as an ear tag manufacturer or supplier
You need to register and apply for an ear tag manufacturer or supplier number from the British Cattle Movement Service (BCMS).
You also need to read the relevant code of practice and send a signed copy of ‘Annex A: manufacturer and supplier undertaking’ with your application form.
Apply to get a new or modified ear tag approved
You need to apply to:
- get your new or modified ear tag approved
- supply an ear tag from another manufacturer which has already been approved
Get a welfare assessment
Once the LUIS support team tells you that you can move to live welfare trials, you must get a welfare assessment of your ear tags at 2 farms. This must be supervised by a vet.
You must pay for any costs associated with these tests.
Get specification tests
You must get an ISO17025 accredited laboratory to test the new tags to meet the Publicly Available Specifications (PAS). You must pay for any costs associated with these tests.
In addition to the PAS tests, the electronic identification (EID) tags must meet the EID technical standards.