Current status: Answered by Jim Fairlie on 28 October 2025
To ask the Scottish Government what consideration it has given to any impact on cross-border trading regarding its plans to mandate the use of ultra-high frequency (UHF) cattle electronic identification (EID) tags by 2026.
The Scottish Government has considered impacts on cross border trade and there is no evidence to suggest that there will be any significant impact if ultra-high frequency (UHF) cattle EID is introduced. Electronic reading will not be mandated, and the ability to visually read an ear tag will remain. A Partial Business and Regulatory Impact Assessment (BRIA) was published as part of the consultation on bovine EID.