Scottish farm leaders have said there is now a 'clear mandate' for the rollout of ultra-high frequency bovine electronic identification (EID) in Scotland.
NFU Scotland said it was 'adamant' that following decades of discussions, research and development, the introduction of bovine EID must now happen.
Ultra-high frequency (UHF) is the newer EID technology versus the now dated Low Frequency (LF), which is currently used in sheep.
If implemented, UHF EID could provide farmers with an easier way to collect and store cattle information, leading to improvements in efficiency and safety.
In response to the Scottish government’s consultation on the issue, NFU Scotland's livestock policy manager, Lisa Hislop, said the industry's position was 'clear', adding that it wanted to "see mandate for the introduction of UHF EID".
She explained: “The benefits of UHF outstrip those of LF, notably the ability to achieve 100% read rates on-farm, in transport and in markets which improves the health and safety of anyone who works with cattle.”
Proponents of UHF say it will be able to streamline husbandry tasks on-farm including any inspections, as well as the potential to phase out paper passports.
According to NFU Scotland, this would save the industry more than £20,000 and the Scottish government over £500,000 on paper and postage.
“We appreciate there is confusion and misunderstandings around EID, which is understandable given the considerable time taken to get to this point," Ms Hislop continued.
"But fundamentally, UHF EID gives those who want to use technology the opportunity to get the most out of it."
She added: “We want Scottish government to introduce the mandate with a clear timeline for introduction as soon as possible.
"This will give industry confidence to invest in the necessary equipment and technology for EID.”
