Farmers and crofters who use linked holdings will start receiving letters this weekend outlining changes to how cattle movements must be recorded.
ScotEID, which runs and manages a database for recording animal movements in Scotland, is in the process of sending out forms to farmers and crofters asking for information about linked holdings and asking them to sign up to a new online cattle movements recording system.
The ScotMoves system, which comes into force in January, will replace the current CTS Links system putting an end to farmers not having to record individual moves between different holdings which were “linked” for their business.
Speaking at an NFU Scotland livestock meeting in Oldmeldrum, Scott McDowell from the Scottish Government’s rural directorate said there was no legal provision for allowing linked holdings to exist and they posed a risk to disease.
“With CTS Links at the moment we may not know the whereabouts of about half a million cattle in Scotland,” said Mr McDowell.
He said farmers will be required to report the movement of all animals between different holdings within 48 hours of the move either online, by fax or by phoning ScotEID.
Bob Yuill from SAOS, which helped develop the new ScotMoves system, said supermarkets were becoming more conscious about the number of moves a cow had made before slaughter.
He said if cattle moved from a main holding to a linked holding, which will now be known as an associated holding, farmers would have to go on to the ScotMoves system via ScotEID and select the animals based on their individual number and drag them on the system across from one holding to another.
Moves from one rented grazing to another rented grazing would also have to be recorded.
Mr Yuill said the system would have a facility for farmers to name individual holdings so they could be easily identified when recording moves. In addition, it was hoped marts would be able to alert ScotEID of moves directly from auction to a rented grazing provided the farmer told the mart of the move when paying for cattle.
In cases where different holdings were next door to each other or a farmer moved cattle between holdings on a regular basis, a derogation could be granted to allow the farmer not to have to record each move, added Mr Yuill.
The Government’s Jonathan Brown confirmed that no penalties would be incurred by farmers making mistakes using the system in year one, provided they signed up to use it in the first place.
He said: “If you register on ScotMoves and record no moves you won’t get a penalty. You will get a warning letter.”
The derogation is only in place for ScotMoves and movements between two different holdings must still be reported to CTS.
