Livestock: Tagging

(asked on 6th March 2025) - View Source

Question to the Scotland Office:

To ask the Secretary of State for Scotland, what assessment he has made of the potential impact of the Scottish Government’s proposals to adopt Ultra High Frequency electronic identification technology for animals on farming in the rest of the UK.


Answered by
Ian Murray Portrait
Ian Murray
Secretary of State for Scotland
This question was answered on 11th March 2025

Animal health and traceability policy is devolved. The Scottish Government has announced that it plans to adopt Ultra-High Frequency electronic identification (EID) in cattle. The UK and Welsh Governments have yet to make a decision on technology, whereas Northern Ireland would be required to use Low Frequency technology if the Northern Ireland Executive chooses to introduce EID, in accordance with the Windsor Framework.

Work between Defra officials and counterparts in the devolved governments is ongoing to understand the potential impacts of divergence, including the impacts on industry, the internal market and international trade. The issue was discussed at the Inter-Ministerial Group for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs on 27 January 2025.

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