Changes to Bovine Identification, Registration, and Movement in England

An effective cattle [1] traceability system is essential to control the spread of infectious diseases. Failure to do so can have a devastating impact on the economy, international trade, and public health. The Foot and Mouth outbreak of 2001 resulted in over 6 million cattle and sheep being culled and was estimated to have cost the UK economy £8 billion [2] . When we can identify and trace cattle to a location, we have a better chance of tackling disease outbreak. The accuracy of traceability data and the speed with which it becomes available is critical to reduce the impact of disease. The current Cattle Tracing System (CTS) was introduced in 1998 – towards the end of the BSE epidemic of the 1980s and 1990s. This was a time when only 9% of households had an internet connection. The processes CTS relied on were based on information and documents being sent by post and processed manually. Whilst CTS remains effective, it is unable to accommodate furthe