CATTLE identification and traceability in England will change over the next two years, in a major step forward in disease control and trade across the farming sector, the UK’s Department for Environment, Food & Rural Affairs announced this week.

From Summer 2026, changes will be introduced to cattle identification, registration and reporting that will improve the UK government’s ability to respond effectively to disease, the department said in a statement.

These changes will also simplify regulations and support industry to boost productivity, food security and international trade.

Since its BSE episode in the 1990s, the UK has relied on a cumbersome and costly paper-based passport system for livestock traceability.

New requirements will see Electric ID (EID) mandatory for all new-born UK calves from 2027, using low frequency (LF) technology. This means animals with eID eartags will be able to be scanned when animals are moved, rather than a visual read and manual input of the tag number.

Electronic cattle traceability will strengthen the UK’s ability to prevent, detect, and respond to animal disease outbreaks, protecting farmers and the rural economy, the department said.

This will be supported by a new cattle movement reporting system which will be easier to use for farmers, markets, abattoirs and regulators. The process will simplify existing regulations and support the livestock industry to boost productivity, food security and international trade.

This week’s announcement comes as the UK government announced a £200 million investment in its main research and laboratory testing facilities at Weybridge to bolster protection against animal disease, and the recent announcement that livestock farmers in England can apply for a series of free annual vet visits on farm to check for diseases and receive biosecurity recommendations and tailored animal health and welfare advice.

UK biosecurity minister, Baroness Hayman said the move was a significant milestone in modernising how England managed cattle health, welfare and traceability.

“These reforms strike the right balance in supporting farmers with clearer, simpler rules while helping the sector strengthen its productivity, resilience and global competitiveness,” she said.

Game changer

UK chief veterinary officer Dr Christine Middlemiss said electronic identification was a game-changer for disease traceability.

“It allows for faster, more accurate tracking of cattle movements, which is crucial in responding to outbreaks and maintaining our high biosecurity standards,” she said.

“This shift puts England in step with best global practice and today’s early confirmation will provide the livestock industry the clarity it needs to begin preparing now — ensuring that the right tags, readers and systems are available at scale ahead of rollout.”

The Department will also take a more proportionate approach to enforcement, which will give livestock ownerskeepers the opportunity to correct issues before further action is considered, as part of a broader move to reduce red tape while strengthening biosecurity.

Following the wide-reaching sanitary and phytosanitary (SPS) deal recently agreed at the recent UK-EU summit, this week’s decision would further benefit livestock businesses in England by reducing trade friction and boosting their ability to export agri-food products abroad, the department said.

Farmers support move

England’s peak farmer body, the National Farmers Union has welcomed the decision, but has expressed disappointment that mandatory electronic ID for newborn calves will only use low-frequency technology.

From 2027, it will be mandatory for all newborn calves to have low-frequency electronic ID ear tags which the government says will strengthen the UK’s ability deal with animal disease outbreaks. Low-frequency tags are currently used for sheep.

It is hoped that a new electronic tagging system would promote safer handling of cattle, reduce errors in the reporting of data and lead to improvements to farm productivity and animal husbandry.

“I strongly believe that UHF offers real potential to improve on-farm management and farmer health and safety,” NFU livestock board chair David Barton said this week.

However, the NFU supports the use of UHF (Ultra-High Frequency) as a management tool and to allow livestock owners to voluntarily use UHF chips in the one of the statutory tags.

System must be simple

“While we welcome the government’s investment in a new multi-species livestock traceability service. It’s encouraging to have a clearer timeline for the introduction of bovine electronic ID for new registrations, the system must be simple to use and incentivise digital reporting from the outset,” Mr Barton said.

“It’s important the department now bring sheep and goats onto a multi-species platform as soon as possible. We also urge them to continue working with industry to ensure the service evolves to support better decision-making at point of sale and improve productivity and animal welfare.”

“The move towards mandatory bovine EID is positive and we recognise the role of low-frequency tags, but it’s disappointing UHF technology hasn’t been mentioned.”

“Moving forward, we need to understand whether livestock traceability will fall within the scope of any sanitary and phytosanitary agreement with the EU and whether this will preclude the use of UHF technology. I strongly believe that UHF offers real potential to improve on-farm management and farmer health and safety. Stock owners should be able to use it voluntarily in the primary tag to negate the need for a third management tag.”