GovWire

When sheep and goats arrive at your slaughterhouse you must:

• check theyre correctly tagged
• record the arrival in a holding register
• report the arrival online to the Livestock Information Service (LIS)

Following these rules means that animals can be traced at all times to help prevent and contain disease.

Its your responsibility to follow the rules to avoid penalties such as a fine or prosecution.

Check animals are correctly tagged

You should only receive animals correctly identified with tags from tag suppliers approved by the Rural Payments Agency.

Sheep can sometimes lose tags while travelling to a slaughterhouse. A Food Standards Agency official vet may not let the slaughtered animals into the food chain if:

• a large number arrived without tags
• theyre not satisfied with the origin of an incorrectly identified animal, including any with missing or no tags

Visually check a sample of between 2% and 5% of each incoming batch of animals to make sure theyre correctly tagged. The smaller the batch, the higher the percentage of animals you should check.

Read how the sending keepers must ensure that they correctly:

• tag sheep with ear tags, pastern bands and boluses
• tag goats with ear tags, pastern bands and boluses

Animals with electronic identification (EID) tags

All sheep must, and goats may, have EID tags. These can be scanned to collect official identification numbers.

However you capture the official identification numbers, you must include them in your online movement report on LIS.

If you want to provide your scanned list of official identification numbers back to the sending keepers for their holding registers, youll need to be an approved central point recording centre (CPRC). You can apply to APHA to operate as a CPRC.

You can choose to use reading equipment, such as a portable handheld scanner or stationary race reader, to capture the official identification numbers.

A handheld or portable reader should be able to read:

• an EID ear tag from 12cm
• a ruminal bolus EID from 20cm

A stationary race reader should be able to read all types of of tags from 50cm.

You might not need to scan EID tags if youre only processing a small number of animals - for example, a small batch of sheep where you do not have their official identification numbers but you can see these on their tags. You must include them in your online LIS movement report.

If the sender has not given you the official identification numbers from any EID tags, you need to:

• scan the lambs (and any kids) slaughter tags and record the official identification numbers - this is because only the flock or herd mark is printed on those tags
• in adult animals with a pair of tags, either visually check and record the official identification number on the tag, or scan it

Check for adult sheep incorrectly tagged as lambs

Lambs intended for slaughter within 12 months of age may be tagged with a single slaughter tag.

Lambs (or sheep) older than 12 months must have been double tagged as adults.

Keep a record of any animals that you think are older than 18 months but tagged with a single slaughter tag. Youll need to make these records available to your local council if requested.

Request food chain information

Before any animals are slaughtered, you must make sure:

• you know the origin of the animal
• the keeper sends you the food chain information

Keepers can provide this information:

• in their LIS-1 movement document
• through their LIS account if they reported the outbound movement to your slaughterhouse online
• through their farm software, if its linked to LIS
• as a separate document

There is more food chain information on the Food Standards Agency website.

Keep a holding register

You must record every sheep or goat movement on to your premises in a holding register. You need to keep the register for 3 years.

Read how to keep a holding register and what you need to record.

Report arrivals (on movements) to the Livestock Information Service

You must report the arrival of any sheep or goats at your slaughterhouse within 3 days.

You must do this online using either:

• the LIS website - youll need to create an account
• your management software if its linked to LIS - check with your provider

How to report on movements

If the sending keeper has already correctly entered all of the required details of the movement off their holding on LIS, that information should be visible in your LIS account. So youll only need to confirm the movement onto your holding.

If the sending keeper reports movements using the paper LIS-1 movement document, rather than online, you must complete details of the off movement online too. This includes:

• the holding the animals were sent from
• the hauliers details

Youll need the animals official identification numbers, including if theyre lambs under 12 months old tagged with a slaughter tag.

If the market or collection centre scanned the animals EID tags, you can view the official identification numbers in your LIS account. You do not need to scan the tags and you can correct any errors such as missing official identification numbers.

If the animals have been sent from a farm and the official identification numbers are not on the LIS-1 movement document, youll have to gather them yourself. You can do this visually (where possible) or using a reader.

If you miss the 3-day deadline

If you cannot submit a report within 3 days (for example because you have a power failure) you should:

• contact Trading Standards at your local council - they might be able to confirm a temporary exemption from some recording and reporting requirements (for example, capturing official identification numbers to include in your movement reports)

• send copies of the LIS-1 movement documents to LIS so that they can temporarily record the moves for you - tell them why you cannot give the official identification numbers

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