DAERA encourages farmers to use APHIS Online to notify movements of cattle

DAERA are actively encouraging the use of APHIS On Line (AOL) by herd-keepers to notify births, deaths and movements of cattle. Using APHIS Online reduces the use of paper, improves accuracy and efficiency and leads to fewer errors recording tag numbers which can result in movement restrictions on cattle.

Where keepers are notifying a move using AOL and where the buyer also uses AOL to confirm moves in, they are not required to print off the movement document although the transporter must still be able to demonstrate if necessary to an inspector or member of the PSNI that the movement was notified electronically prior to the start of the journey.

For more information on accessing and using DAERA’s APHIS Online service, click on this link APHIS Online or contact your local DAERA Direct Office.

Clarification of cattle movements requiring a Printed Movement Document to accompany the cattle

1. The following cattle movements do not require a printed/paper MC2 document to accompany the animals to their destination.

Any movement from a keeper registered to use APHIS-on-Line to a market, abattoir or to another keeper who is also registered to use APHIS-on-Line.  The relevant electronic movement notification must be created and be available to view on the APHIS system before the movement takes place so that the transporter can demonstrate if necessary to an inspector or member of the PSNI that the movement was notified electronically prior to the start of the journey

2. The following cattle movements do require a printed/paper MC2 document to accompany the animals to their destination. This document must be produced on demand to a DAERA inspector or a member of the PSNI.

  • Any movement where the notification of the move is being done using a document from the keeper’s book of MC2 documents issued by DAERA.
  • Any movement to a keeper who is not registered to use APHIS-on-Line even when the seller is using APHIS-on-Line to notify the move.  This is to enable the buyer to confirm the movement into his/her herd by application of one of the keepers confirmation stickers to the document and sending it to the local DAERA office.

Relevant legislation

  • Cattle Identification (Notification of Births, Deaths and Movements) Regulations (Northern Ireland) 1999
  • Regulation (EC) No. 1760/2000 establishing a system for the identification and registration of bovine animals and regarding the labelling of beef
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