Dos and Don’ts of Cattle Notification Documents

Birth and Death Notifications (MC1)

When completing birth and death notifications always:

Send your calf birth notifications (by APHIS Online services, the dedicated telephony line or MC1) in good time so they arrive with DAERA within 27 days of the birth of the oldest calf on the notification. Calves whose birth is notified later than 27 days after the date of birth will have an NNO status applied to the animal. This will prevent the movement of this animal to markets or other herds. Calves notified by MC1 can take up to 5 working days to be registered on APHIS.

Notify the death of an animal in your herd (by APHIS Online services or MC1). This notification must be made within seven days of the death of the animal to avoid potential cross compliance penalties. Rendering plants, incinerator operators, hunt kennels or veterinary labs cannot do this for you, even though rendering plants may move the animal out of your herd on APHIS.

Tag and notify the birth/death of aborted, stillborn, or euthanased calves (by APHIS Online services or MC1) so that Bovine Viral Diarrhoea (BVD) results can be processed for them. (All of these animals must be tested for BVD in the same way as living calves). Remember also to enter these animals in your herd register!

N.B.  Aborted or stillborn calves or calves which die within 24 hours of birth should, in addition, be reported to your local DAERA office by telephone or in person, within 24 hours, so that their dams can be tested for Brucellosis.

When completing birth and death notifications never:

Leave your calf birth notifications (by APHIS Online services or MC1) to the last minute and so risk postal delays, public holidays or computer problems causing you to miss the 27 day deadline.

Movement Notifications (MC2)

When completing movement notifications always:

Fully complete your MC2 documents including the name, address and herd number of the destination herd, and the date of the move.

Personally send or deliver the white copy of your MC2 document to DAERA. This ensures that the move is correctly recorded and helps ensure that your herd list on APHIS is up to date.

Carefully check the tag numbers and description of bought in animals before confirming them into your herd (by ticking the column on the MC2).

When completing movement notifications never:

Give a partially completed MC2 to a purchaser, as an unscrupulous purchaser may use the partially completed document for fraudulent purposes.

Give the white copy of the MC2 to a purchaser even if they say they will send/deliver it to DAERA for you. An unscrupulous purchaser may amend the details on the copy sent to DAERA for fraudulent purposes.

Give a collector of dead animals an MC2 document for a dead animal. An MC2 is not required and is inappropriate for the movement of a dead animal and may enable that animal’s identity to be used for fraudulent activity.

Confirm animals into your herd on an MC2 without first checking the tag numbers and descriptions carefully. Discrepancies discovered at this stage are easier to resolve than if discovered at a herd test or cattle identification inspection at a later stage.

Notes to editors: 

1. The EU requirements provide that all cattle keepers must notify the Department of the births, deaths and movement of cattle. Animals must be double tagged and a herd register must be kept to record this information.  Council Regulation (EC) No. 1760/2000 sets out the details of these requirements.
2. It is important that MC1s are received within the required time i.e. within 27 days of birth, to avoid identification and registration statuses being applied.
3. It is important that MC2s are received within seven calendar days from the date of movement to avoid notification statuses being applied. 
4. Follow us on Twitter @daera_ni. 
5. All media enquiries to DAERA Press Office, pressoffice.group@daera-ni.gov.uk or tel: 028 9052 4619.

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