Farm IT Help - Sheep Flock Official Registers

Sheep Flock Official Registers

The FarmIT 3000 and Sheep Lite flock register provides the minimum mandatory recording keeping to meet the current UK regulations (2010). Under these regulations you are expected to record the following:

1.      All movements of sheep (goats) on and off the holding.

2.      Registrations and/or birth records of individually numbered animals born after 1 January 2010, which are retained for breeding purposes.

3.      All deaths and losses

4.      Retagging of individually identified animals.

5.      Annual Audit of sheep numbers.

Annual audit of sheep numbers.

Unlike the previous flock register the new requirements do not include details of running totals other than a total number of sheep. Keeping this accurate at all times is going to be challenging and verbal guidance from DEFRA suggests that they are less worried about this as long as movements on and off are recorded correctly. However, how this is interpreted locally by inspectors will be very interesting to see.

Although animals (breeding ewes and rams) born before 2010 do not need to be individually recorded (they are individually identified), it is current policy that these animals will have to be recorded from 2012. Whether they will require retagging is as yet unclear. This initial situation does mean that keeping your records 100% accurate and in line with physical sheep on the ground is going to be very challenging.  

This is further complicated by the fact that movements to keep holdings or rented ground outside the farm, require movement records but you are allowed to record these movements under a simple flock number rather than individual number.

If you have any doubt regarding your requirements for recording your sheep flock please consult your local trading standards, RPA or DEFRA.

Although every effort has been made Although every effort has been made to ensure that FarmIT 3000 and Sheep Lite meet the legislative requirements, we cannot guarantee compliance or non compliance due to local or regional variation or interpretation of DEFRA policy.

Should you experience any problems with your local inspectors please contact us asap so we may look into the issue.

---