Cattle tagging

Calf Tags

Each year around August, the Animal Health team prepares the annual calf tag order by contacting registered cattle keepers to confirm their tag requirements for the year. Additional orders can be placed as needed throughout the year.

Non electronic calf tags are provided by the Animal Health Team FREE of charge. Electronic (EID) tags are deducted from keepers Agricultural Development scheme payment at £1.80 per set. The following tag types can be provided.

MAN03TST – Primary and Secondary Flag

MAN04TST – Primary Flag and EID button

MAN05TST – Primary Flag and Primary Flag

MAN07TST – Primary Flag and Standard Button

MAN08TST – Primary Flag and Secondary EID Flag

Replacement cattle tags

To order a replacement cattle tag you must contact the Animal Health Team via email or phone who will source replacements for you from Allflex. When placing an order with the team please have the animals tag numbers to hand and what tag type you would like.mAn animal must have either a primary/primary or a primary/secondary set of tags. You cannot tag an animal with two secondary tags.

As of the 1 March 2026, the cost of a replacement tag will increase from £2.74 to £2.82 (3% increase).

Taggers

You will require a yellow set of taggers for BVD tester tags and a red set of taggers for any non-tester tags. If you are a new cattle keeper, they will be provided free of charge by the animal health team. If you need to purchase a new set of taggers you can do so from the Animal Health team at DEFA, they are £20 each.

All calves on the Isle of Man are individually BVD tested. During the tagging process, a tissue sample is simultaneously collected from the ear in a vial. The keeper forwards these vials to the CIS laboratory for analysis. Forms and envelopes for BVD testing are supplied by the Animal Health team. Additional information about BVD can be found on the Bovine Virus Diarrhoea (BVD) control strategy page.

Emergency Tags

Replacement cattle tags from Allflex typically require 2 to 5 working days for delivery. However, if you wish to move an animal urgently, you may request an emergency tag. The Animal Health Team will make every effort to obtain a temporary emergency tag from the Manx Workshop for the Disabled (they are able to engrave emergency tags at short notice). Please note, this emergency tag is only valid for animals moving directly to slaughter on the Isle of Man and cannot be used for export purposes. The cost of an emergency tag is £20.

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