Acknowledging the provision of the €4.25 million subvention scheme announced by the Minister for Agriculture, Food and the Marine, Charlie McConalogue for Bovine EID tagging, the Irish Farmers' Association (IFA) said however, that the minister needs to go further.

Last week, Minister McConalogue said: "I am very pleased to announce details of this financial support which will assist farmers in transitioning to this new electronic identification system.

"Mandatory bovine EID will deliver a substantial improvement in the bovine identification system for farmers, livestock marts, slaughter plants, export assembly centres and veterinarians."

From January 1, 2022, new EID tag sets will be white in colour and will be eligible for funding under a tag subvention scheme.

The intention is that the scheme will operate over three years (2022-2024 inclusive) with the first payments scheduled to take place in quarter four of 2022, amounting to €2.25 million.

Payments in 2022 will be calculated on the number of new EID tag sets purchased from January 1, 2022 at a rate of €1 per new EID tag set.

There is a maximum payment of €100 per farmer over the life of the scheme and no application process will be required.

The IFA has argued that the main beneficiaries of Bovine EID are outside the farm gate. The association claims that these benefits will not be passed back to farmers.

IFA Animal Health Committee chairman, Pat Farrell said: “IFA has sought the full additional cost of EID tags to be covered.

Farrell said the scheme must be extended to include all tags purchased by farmers and must be amended to also cover the additional cost of replacement EID tags, which it said are more expensive than conventional tags.

Pat Farrell also pointed out farmers will purchase their tag requirements for 2022 in advance of Jan 1 adding that all EID tags that are purchased prior to Jan 1, must be eligible for the subvention payment.

The IFA chairman said that for farmers to accrue any benefit from EID tagging, they will need a tag reader.

“The minister must provide direct support to all farmers purchasing tag readers for the full cost that will be incurred,” he said.

He said the change to the bovine identification system is not a legislative requirement and is "based on a decision taken by the minister to facilitate meat factories, marts, large feedlots" and other service providers.

The IFA is calling on the minister to amend his proposed subvention scheme to offset all additional costs for farmers and provide all farmers with EID tag readers, to allow them avail of at least some potential benefit from the changes announced.

Cattle herd keepers must use up all existing stocks of tags as only white EID tag sets can be used to officially identify and register calves born on or after July 1, 2022.