Carla Lockhart MP, the DUP’s Agriculture, Environment and Rural Affairs spokesperson in Westminster said: “Northern Ireland is still in the transition period for the mandatory switchover from UK9 to XI0 ear tags.  The new format tags were expected to become a legal requirement at the end of January, but DAERA extended the deadline to 30^th June 2025.

“As a result, herd owners are still permitted to use existing stocks of UK9 ear tags, while others have been using XI0 tags since last year.

“Figures show that the majority of cattle registrations on NIFAIS (Northern Ireland Food have Animal Information Service) have switched to the XI0 herd mark.”

The Upper Bann MP added: “Pedigree beef and dairy breed societies are still using the UK9 prefix as the default for herd numbers on their online registration templates. This is causing huge problems for local pedigree breeders who are already using the XI0 tags. I’ve had numerous reports of herd owners accidentally registering new born calves using the default UK9 prefix, when the actual ear tags display the new XI0 prefix.

“Breeders have been using the online registration templates for years, but are now faced with having to remember to manually change the prefix to XI0 before completing the calf registration process. “

Ms Lockhart continued: ”Pedigree breed societies such as Holstein UK, the largest dairy breed society in Europe, are aware of the confusion and are correcting registrations completed using its online Webreg portal. Hopefully the problem will rectify itself on 1^st July 2025, when the default for NI herds will change to XI0.

“In the meantime, those registering pedigree cattle online must be mindful of the current situation. Laboratories used for testing BVD and genomic tags are also experiencing problems due to the UK9 and XI0 mix-up.”

Concluding, Carla Lockhart added: “Northern Ireland farmers are being forced to use the EU decreed XI0 prefix, while animal ear tags in mainland UK remain unchanged. The new format XI0 cattle tags and XI17 sheep tags were announced almost twelve-months-ago, with no prior consultation. They are totally ridiculous and unnecessary, as NI-bred cattle and sheep are effectively losing their UK identify.

 “Yet again, Stormont Ministers and officials are pandering to Europe and implementing rules and regulations designed to dismantle Northern Ireland’s place in the United Kingdom. Brexit represented the UK’s withdrawal from the EU, yet Northern Ireland continues to be held to ransom by the European Union.”