DAERA adds a sheep flock clearance facility to APHIS computer system

The Department of Agriculture, Environment and Rural Affairs (DAERA) has just enhanced its Animal and Public Health Information System (APHIS) to enable flock/herd keepers to keep their sheep flock or goat herd lists on APHIS more up to date. It will now be possible to remove animals from a flock/herd list on APHIS due to these six reasons:

• lost
• stolen
• strayed
• re-identified
• died on farm
• no longer in the flock for another reason defined by the flock/herd keeper

Flock/herd keepers registered with DAERA online services will be able to do this using the new Flock Clearance Function on APHIS Online (AoL).

Flock/herd keepers not registered with online services can also have animals removed from their flock/herd lists, by providing a list of ear tag numbers on an SG2 movement document, to their local DAERA Direct Office, along with the appropriate reasons and dates.

DAERA has published information, including video demonstrations, on the DAERA website detailing how to register and access online services as well as how to use AoL.  A video is available, on the YouTube website, which demonstrates how to use the flock clearance facility.

If keepers have any questions about how to use the new facility they can;

1. Contact the DAERA Online Services Helpdesk by email onlineservices@daera-ni.gov.uk or call 028 9442 6699 (Mon–Fri 9am to 5pm),
2. Contact their local DAERA Direct office.

Notes to editors: 

1. The Animal and Public Health Information System (APHIS) is an EU approved database that records the movement history of individually identified cattle and sheep.
2. Keepers can now record lost and stolen sheep/goats by using the ‘Flock clearance’ option on Aphis Online to clear animals from flocks/herds or submit a movement document to DAERA Direct Office.
3. The flock/herd keeper is required to provide the tag number, clearance reason and clearance date for each animal to be cleared from his flock.
4. All flock clearances are monitored and reported to the local Divisional Veterinary Officer for investigation if they exceed the specified limit in the specified time period.
5. Follow us on Twitter: @daera_ni
6. All media enquiries to DAERA Press Office, pressoffice.group@daera-ni.gov.uk or tel: 028 9052 4619.

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