Author wrote:
I am somewhat puzzled by the comment you make "How would we identify our
animals without earmarking etc" I would assume that you would know your
individual animals so well that you would not need the addition of
eartagging by Defra to assist you,also since you would have had some of
these animals several years and they are effectively pets rather more than
food animals surely recognising them individually cannot be a problem. I
have always been amazed how a shepherd can identify all the ewes in a field
and know immediately if one goes missing, presumably he isn't looking at the
tags.
Chris
-----Original Message-----
From: <a href="...">...</a> <a href="mailto:<...>"><...></a>;
To: <a href="...">...</a> <a href="mailto:<...>"><...></a>;
Date: 17 April 2002 11:47
Subject: Re: [farmtalking] Latest earmarking/movement news affecting goats.

Hello Mary.
No it doesn't shock me, we are all entitled to our own opinions. I just

think that to say "no" would be short-sighted.

How would we identify our animals without earmarking or whatever?
Cheers,
Christine (GoatsUK).

Author wrote:
Christine. All due respect to you and others who have been fighting

their

corner but I think that all livestock owners should just say NO. Any

decent

union would back them to do just that.
Sorry if this shocks you – but the rules and regulations are bloody mad

and

help no one at all. Except perhaps a government absolutely determined to
rid itself of traditional livestock farming.
Mary
----- Original Message -----
From: <a

href="mailto:<...>"><...></a>;

To: <a

href="mailto:<...>"><...></a

;

Sent: Tuesday, April 16, 2002 6:20 PM
Subject: Re: [farmtalking] Latest earmarking/movement news affecting

goats.

You would not believe the battle goatkeepers have been having to get to

this compromise Mary. It was looking like we would be expected to tattoo

TWO

lines in the left ear to get all the info in and some of us with breeds

that

have small ears just knew we did not have space. Also two lines would be
bound to hit blood vessels. We tattoo the right ear anyway and have done

for

years to register our goats with the BGS. Most goatkeepers do not like

tags

as goats tend to pull them out and tear their ears.

The BGS Scottish rep managed to find sensible people to speak to at

Seerad

who worked out the arrangement below, and Defra have followed suit and
agreed to our requests.

I fail to see how not complying would benefit us as we need

to be able
to

sell and transport our goats for various reasons which we could not do
without the appropriate earmarks.

Christine Ball.

Author wrote:
Eartagging....How quick the British are to collude in their own

destruction

out of a depressingly misplaced confidence in the "authorities". But

what

is even more depressing is that it's the animals who

suffer first.

Take a step back and just think about what DEFRA sound like with

their

utterly obnoxious rules and regulations.....
DEFRA and SEERAD have agreed that the following is acceptable:
One ear: the six digit Herd Number e.g.123456
Other ear: A modified registration earmark, with the

numbers first,
will

be

accepted as the goats' individual number, the presence

of letters
after

the

number is permitted. E.g. instead of a BGS earmark of

ABC10R, you
must

put

10ABCR. 10 will then be the official individual number

of that goat.
An

individual number is needed for showing, selling on twice, export,

breeding

movements' etc. This system avoids the need to put two rows of

tattooed

digits in a kid's ear.
However, if you are taking a bought-in goat to a show, which is

legally

not

tattooed with the breeder's Herd Number (because of its age), it

should

be

marked with an "S", followed by your Herd Number, followed (if the

other

ear

is already tattooed with, say a BGS earmark with letters

in front) by
an

individual number. This would involve two tattooing operations, or a

tag.

Heil Defra......
Mary at warmwell
----- Original Message -----
From: <a

href="mailto:<...>"><...></a>;

To: <a

href="mailto:<...>"><...></a

;

Sent: Tuesday, April 16, 2002 11:28 AM
Subject: [farmtalking] Latest earmarking/movement news affecting

goats.

The following news has been received from Ruth Goodwin

of the British

Goat

Society and affects ALL goats which must be earmarked

according to
the

rules

below.
If anybody needs help or more info please contact me on
<a href="...">...</a>
Cheers,
Christine Ball.
AGRI-NEWS STOP PRESS – SOME GOOD NEWS AT LAST
DEFRA's early summer review of the interim animal movements regime

proposes

that (assuming no further cases of FMD) goats, and sheep, can go to

shows

from 15th May 2002. Also, that there will be exemption from the

20-day

standstill for individually identified breeding goats

of either sex.

Earmarking update: DEFRA and SEERAD have agreed that

the following is

acceptable:
One ear: the six digit Herd Number e.g.123456
Other ear: A modified registration earmark, with the

numbers first,
will

be

accepted as the goats' individual number, the presence

of letters
after

the

number is permitted. E.g. instead of a BGS earmark of

ABC10R, you
must

put

10ABCR. 10 will then be the official individual number

of that goat.
An

individual number is needed for showing, selling on twice, export,

breeding

movements' etc. This system avoids the need to put two rows of

tattooed

digits in a kid's ear.
However, if you are taking a bought-in goat to a show, which is

legally

not

tattooed with the breeder's Herd Number (because of its age), it

should

be

marked with an "S", followed by your Herd Number, followed (if the

other

ear

is already tattooed with, say a BGS earmark with letters

in front) by
an

individual number. This would involve two tattooing operations, or a

tag.

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