Tag sheep with ear tags, pastern bands and boluses
When and how to identify your lambs and sheep with tags.
Applies to England
You must tag lambs and sheep correctly so they can be identified. This is a legal requirement so that animals can be traced to help prevent and contain the outbreak of disease.
Your sheep could be rejected if they’re not correctly tagged when they arrive at a market.
There’s other guidance for tagging:
In an emergency, you can take a sheep that’s not been tagged off your holding to visit a vet. But you must:
- tag the sheep as soon as it’s back on your holding
- record the move to the vet in your holding register
Find out how to report movements on and off your holding.
What’s on a tag
A pair of adult tags display:
- ‘UK’
- ‘0’ if the tag is an EID (electronic identification) tag
- the 6 digit flock mark of the holding where the sheep is tagged
- a 5 digit official identification number which is unique to the sheep
Lamb slaughter tags display ‘UK’ and the flock mark.
Slaughter tags have an EID chip in them, containing an official identification number for the animal. This tag can be read by an EID reader.
Find out how to get a flock mark.
Add your own information to ear tags and pastern bands
You can add management information (for example, the sheep’s year of birth) to a tag. This information must be clearly separate so that it’s not confused with the sheep’s official identification number.
You can also attach your own management tags to your sheep, but they cannot:
- be yellow, black or red
- have the letters ‘UK’ on them
When to tag lambs
You must tag lambs on the holding where they were born, with either one slaughter tag or 2 adult tags:
- within 6 months of birth, if you rear them indoors
- within 9 months of birth, if you rear them outdoors
- before you move them from the holding, if this is sooner
What to tag lambs with
You can choose to use a slaughter tag if a lamb is intended for slaughter before it’s 12 months old. A slaughter tag is a yellow EID tag, which means it can be read with an electronic reader.
If you use 2 adult tags, one tag must be an EID tag. The other is a ‘visual’ tag which can only be read by sight, rather than electronically. Both tags will have the same official identification number.
How to tag lambs intended for slaughter
You must tag a lamb that’s intended for slaughter, with either one slaughter tag or 2 adult tags.
You must replace a lamb’s slaughter tag with 2 adult tags if you’re going to keep it past 12 months old, whether you decide to slaughter it or not.
You must do this before the lamb is 12 months old.
Find out how to replace a slaughter tag on lambs you decide to keep past 12 months old.
How to tag lambs not intended for slaughter and adult sheep
You must use an approved combination of 2 tags for:
- lambs under 12 months if you know they’re not intended for slaughter
- all sheep intended to be kept over 12 months old
| EID (electronic identification) tag | Visual (non-EID) tag |
|---|---|
| Yellow EID ear tag | Ear tag (any colour except yellow, red or black) |
| Yellow EID ear tag | Tattoo, which can go across both ears. It must have a UK code and flock mark on one ear, and the sheep’s official identification number on the other ear |
| Yellow EID ear tag | Green pastern band (any colour except yellow, red or black but only green is being supplied) |
| EID bolus (ingested by the sheep) | Black ear tag with ‘B’ printed on it |
Other combinations of tags are legally allowed but some tags are not yet manufactured and supplied by approved tag suppliers.
If you’re not sure whether you’re going to send a lamb for slaughter, tag the lamb with 2 adult tags.
How to tag sheep you’ve bought
When you buy adult sheep, they will keep their original 2 tags. One of these will be an EID tag.
You should not replace the tags fitted to the sheep when you bought it unless they’re lost or damaged. This includes an unreadable transponder in an EID.
Replace lost or damaged ear tags or pastern bands
You must replace ear tags or pastern bands within 28 days of noticing that they were lost or damaged.
You can choose to replace with either:
- tags that have a new official identification number for the sheep
- a replica of the original tag which keeps the sheep’s original official identification number
Find out how to replace lost or damaged ear tags or pastern bands.
Record tags in your holding register
You must update your holding register within 36 hours of tagging a sheep.
Find out how to keep a holding register.
Where to buy ear tags, pastern bands and boluses
Buy official tags from ear tag suppliers approved by the Rural Payments Agency (RPA).
When ordering tags, you’ll need the county parish holding (CPH) number and flock mark for where you keep the animal.
For sheep born on a holding with a temporary CPH or common land, give the flock number of your permanent holding.