Cattle passport law makes more work for labs

A Reading laboratory will be central to the enforcement of changes to the legislation that was originally brought in to protect the UK's farming and food industry from the illegal movement of cattle.

Legislation introduced in 1996 obliges all farmers to provide their new born calves or imported cattle with a passport.

All applications for cattle passports must be made to the British Cattle Movement Service (BCMS) within seven days of tagging.

This gives all keepers a maximum of 27 days in which to tag and register the birth/apply for a passport.

Only in very exceptional circumstances has it been possible to gain a passport after the 27 days have elapsed.

On 6 April 2007, the new Cattle Identification Regulations (2007) came into force.

The new legislation makes provision for a DNA test to be accepted as proof of the dam calf link for applications for cattle passports which are late and have previously been refused a passport.

The DNA test must be undertaken by a licensed veterinary surgeon and will depend on the dam being alive and available for the vet to take a sample.

Reading Scientific Services is one of only four laboratories in the UK approved for carrying out the necessary DNA test, and the only one set-up to provide the service on a true commercial platform.

The company has already been heavily involved in helping local authorities to enforce current legislation, and is gearing up for a big increase in demand for its cattle testing service.

According to Barbara Hirst: "This slight relaxation of the passport rules recognises the fact that DNA profiling of cattle is a powerful technique that can prove the parentage of a calf.

"In addition to helping farmers and vets obtain cattle passports, the same methods can be used in solving paternity disputes, maintaining stock registers, and detecting illegal practices such as changing tags and passing off cattle."