Rural Payments and Services

More than 4,000 cattle keepers have now registered on the ScotMoves system in the year since its introduction.

The online system provides a simple, fast and convenient way for beef and dairy cattle businesses to record cattle moves within their enterprise.

This information provides added transparency on the location of cattle within Scotland and will be vital in controlling and eradicating diseases.

Additionally it provides added reassurance in checking that cattle in Scotland continue to meet the eligibility criteria for BSE Negligible Risk – adding value to our beef sector.

Welcoming the landmark, Cabinet Secretary Fergus Ewing said:

“The information on the location of cattle in Scotland contained in the ScotMoves system provides greater reassurance to government and keepers that Scotland is well placed to prevent and control exotic diseases such as Foot and Mouth and endemic diseases such as Bovine Virus Diarrhoea.

“I am therefore delighted that since its introduction on the 1st January 2017, the 4,000 registered cattle keepers have recorded nearly half a million cattle movements.

This is new information, which increases the providence, quality and resilience of the sector as these keepers are making the effort to record these moves on a system that is easy to use and well designed.

“Through the introduction of the ScotMoves system we are increasing the resilience and quality of our cattle sector, as a next step a new bovine EID pilot will start in the Spring.”

Background

ScotMoves replaced CTS Links on 1st January 2017 following detailed discussions between industry, government, the EPIC Centre of Expertise and ScotEID.

All keepers that have registered on the system have recently been sent a card to remind them to add or remove their additional holdings on the ScotMoves system and to renew their exemptions.

This is a simple process that is carried out on their account on the ScotEID website or by contacting the ScotEID Information Centre.

Prior to the systems introduction and in the event of a disease outbreak such as Foot and Mouth
Disease, the location of over half a million cattle would not be known until animal health inspectors arrived on farm.

This potentially allowed for unreported and unknown contacts between livestock leading to disease
transmission, which could significantly prolong the time taken to trace contacts and the time required to control and eradicate an outbreak.