Required records, ID and tracing - cattle

The Bovine Identification Tracing System (BITS) will be unavailable on Monday 2 March 2026 and it will be replaced by www.iomeid.com, which goes live Tuesday 3 March. If you require assistance getting on to the new system, please contact the animal health team using the contact details below.

Cattle traceability

In the Isle of Man, cattle keepers are legally required to report all cattle births, deaths and movements on IOMEID.com, the Island’s cattle traceability system. IOMEID provides a central record of all cattle locations and movement data in the Isle of Man, which is crucial in the event of a disease outbreak. The IOMEID system is administrated by the DEFA Animal Health team.

Getting started

There are a number of steps you need to take before you move cattle on to your holding in order to operate within the requirements of the law:

• You must apply for a cattle holding number online or by using the paper form attached to this page
  
  
• Upon approval of your holding application, you will be issued with a cattle holding number, which is a unique code allocated to the land where animals are kept
  
  
• If you are taking over an existing holding from another keeper, you still need to complete an application form to ensure that all contact and holding details are up to date
  
  
• Once your application has been approved you will receive guidance from the Animal Health team on how to set up your account on www.IOMEID.com. A full user guide and FAQ document is available on this page for new and current cattle keepers
  
  
• Your holding number is used when reporting and recording cattle movements on to or off your holding
  
  
• Your holding number will also be used to identify animals born on your holding and allows you to order ear tags for your cattle. See more information about tagging requirements online

It is important you keep your own IOMEID account up to date with the following information:

• Business Name
• Keeper Name
• Telephone Number
• Correspondence name and address
• Email address

Whilst you can update the above yourself online, If you need to update your holding address or amend the extent of your holding, you can contact us by emailing animalhealth@gov.im or calling +44 1624 685844. We will verify any changes using the email address or phone number we have on record for you. Once the update has been confirmed, we will apply the changes to the system on your behalf.

Birth registrations

A farmer must tag an animal within 20 days of its birth or before it leaves the birth holding whichever is the earlier and then inform the Animal Health Team within 7 days of tagging. You can do this online via IOMEID.com or by phoning the Animal Health Team on +44 1624 685844 who can report births, deaths and movements to IOMEID on your behalf.

Birth registrations can still be completed using a paper form (see attached to this webpage), however we encourage keepers to use the online system IOMEID or alternatively phone the Animal Health team who are happy to complete any registrations on your behalf over the phone.

Information required to register your calf:

• The 12 digit ear tag number
• The sex of the animal
• The birth dam’s ear tag number (i.e the animal that gave birth to the calf)
• The genetic dam’s ear tag number, if different to the birth dam (if known)
• The date of birth
• The breed
• The sire’s ear tag number (if known)

What if you make a mistake when registering a calf

It is your responsibility as a keeper to ensure that the information you provide is accurate. Any corrections (e.g an incorrect sex), should be notified to the Animal Health Team as soon as they are discovered, in order to maintain the accuracy of the information recorded. If a passport has already been issued and requires amendment, the Animal Health Team will request that you return the passport prior to completing any updates.

Late birth registrations

If you do not register your calf within 27 days of birth, your application will be considered late, and a Notice of Registration letter will be issued. In practical terms, this means that:

• Applications which are not received in time could lead to restrictions of movements of cattle on a keeper's holding and refusal of the passport application
  
  
• The system will not allow you to complete a late birth registration, instead it will ask you to contact the DEFA Animal Health team who may require further supporting information to complete the application
  
  
• The animal must remain on your holding until the Animal Health Team are satisfied with the application and a passport has been issued to the animal

Cattle passports

Since 8 June 2003 all bovines in the Isle of Man must be passported. This requirement applies to male, female, dairy or beef cattle and applies even if the animal remains on the holding where it was born. A cattle passport must accompany the animal throughout its life including any movements to the mart, meat plant and agricultural shows; it enables its movements to be traced. 

Upon receipt of a correctly completed birth registration, the Animal Health Team will forward on the passports in the post. The passports will arrive with a corresponding cover letter detailing the passports enclosed.

Please check that you have received all your passports. If you do not receive a passport within 6 weeks from registration, please contact the Animal Health Team who will reissue them free of charge. There is a charge of £50 for a replacement passport if one is lost or if you have failed to notify us in the 6-week window.

Any replacement passports will require you to complete a replacement passport application form attached to this webpage. Please refer to the replacement passport guidance document also attached.

Notification of a movement

A cattle passport must accompany the animal throughout its life, and it enables its movements to be traced this means that cattle cannot be moved on or off any holding without a cattle passport, unless under a movement license issued by DEFA.

When cattle move ON or OFF your holding, the movement must be recorded on IOMEID either online or by phoning the Animal Health team within 3 days. You must also complete the movement summary on the reverse of the passport. If the movements become full on the passport, you may contact the animal health team who will reprint the passport, or you can use the reverse of a cover letter as a continuation sheet by attaching to the full passport.

Barcode holding labels

Bar code labels can be requested free of charge from the Animal Health Team. The barcode labels allow the use of a barcode scanner to record movements. They speed up paperwork and improve accuracy for everybody.

Notification of death

You can report the death to IOMEID in one of two ways:

• By phone: Contact the Animal Health Team and report the death along with your request for a fallen stock collection
  
  
• Online: Submit the death notification via the IOMEID website. Please note that reporting online does not automatically arrange a fallen stock collection - you must still contact DEFA separately to request this service

In both cases, the animal’s death details on the passport must be completed and returned to the Animal Health Team at DEFA. You must report a death and return the completed passport within 7 days.

Direct to slaughter – ‘farm to abattoir’ moves

The Isle of Man abattoir will report both the ‘off-farm’ movement and the ‘on-abattoir’ movement electronically on your behalf.

Movements to and from shows

All movements ON and OFF showgrounds must be notified to IOMEID. When an animal moves to and from a showground, you must:

• Report the OFF movement from your holding
• Report the ON movement back to your holding

Show secretaries will report movements ON and OFF the show ground, but you should check in advance with them to confirm. It remains your legal responsibility as the keeper to ensure all movements are correctly recorded.

Movements to and from the mart

The mart will report the following movements on your behalf, including both the OFF farm and the ON farm movements:

• OFF-movement from the departure keeper's holding
• ON-movement to market
• OFF-movement from market
• ON-movement to the receiving keeper's holding

Imported cattle

You can find information on the requirements for importing livestock to the Isle of Man online.

Cattle identification inspections

You can find information on Cattle identification inspections on the Isle of Man online.

Cattle tagging

You can find information on Cattle tags on it's respective page.

Important deadlines for cattle keepers

Cattle Identification Order 2019

For further information please contact:

The Department of Environment, Food and Agriculture is committed to ensuring that its services are accessible to all. If you require these documents in an alternative format and / or language please contact us to discuss your needs.