Animal and Farmer Identification
Animal and Farmer Identification
Advice for identification of farmers
- At least 50% of farmers have mobile telephones which have unique numbers. The preference is to use a livestock owner's mobile telephone number during the registration process.
- For those farmers without a mobile phone, a different number may be used. Owners can be registered with an optional identifier, such as:
- their Driver's Licence: SIM (12 digits)
- their local identifier (8 digits or less), such as an existing ID number from the local cooperative or a local farmer id scheme.
- If this optional identifier is used, they do not have to confirm the registration as would happen for those farmers registering with a phone number.
Advice for identifying animals
- Every animal must have a unique number or name within the herd - no herd may have animals with the same name or ID number.
- This means that you may have to change the ID of certain animals coming into the herd - through purchase or inheritance - if their ID is the same as one already in the herd.
- Keep a good record of the particular physical features which identify each animal in the herd. Keep their individual ID with this record.
- Every animal should be tagged for easy and accurate visual identification.
- There are many benefits to having your animals tagged.
- Tags can be purchased blank or pre-numbered.
- Numbers are preferable to use as ID. If possible,
- Use an ear tag with the ID number on each animal.
- Use the system the farmer is already using - minimum change.
- Use one or two digits if not using any formal system (Farmer cooperative, Dinas ID system etc) .
- Use a number that is already tattooed or branded on the animal.
- If a farmer wishes to use a name as identifier, remember that names
- cannot contain punctuation or spaces.
- must be unique within the herd
- can only be one word.
- should be reliable - simple, short, easily remembered and easy to record correctly every time.
- Should use common spelling.
- should not be confusing, difficult to remember or difficult to spell correctly.