British Cattle Movement Service
Encyclopedia
The British Cattle Movement Service (BCMS) is the organisation responsible for maintaining a database of all bovine
animals in the United Kingdom
. It was established in the wake of the Bovine spongiform encephalopathy
crisis in the UK, and is part of the Rural Payments Agency
.
Every bovine animal in the United Kingdom
(as elsewhere in the European Union
) has a unique number, shown both on an ear tag in each ear and on a paper cattle passport which is held by the current keeper of the animal (the system covers both cattle
and other bovine animals such as water buffalo
and bison
). The number and passport remain with the animal throughout its life, and is recorded by the slaughterhouse at its death, allowing traceability
of the beef
. The BCMS central database works alongside the physical passport and records the births, deaths and movements of all cattle. Farmers interact with the service via the postal service using movement cards and passport applications or through the internet using either the CTS online service or through third party software.
s, or to slaughter.
Numbering example: If a herd had the number 123456, its first three calves might have the numbers:
(Note that the example passport in the adjacent illustration has the number "UK 123456 789012" – this is not a realistic number, because it would have to be the 89,012th calf born into the herd.)
The check digit highlights most errors in reading or recording the sequential number. A single-figure error in the sequential number will not match the check digit, unless it happens to produce a figure differing by a multiple of seven (for example, "600016" would have to be misread as "600086", or "500010" as "500080"). Double errors in both the sequential number and the check digit are also unlikely to produce genuine animal numbers. An error in the herd number might generate the herd number for another herd, but the check digit for the first calf varies between herds, so only one in seven such errors would produce an animal number for that herd with the correct check digit.
Similar numbering is used for sheep and goats, with the omission of the check digit (and there is no individual paper passport). The number assigned to a sheep and goat flock is usually (but not always) the same six-figure number as that assigned to a cattle herd on the same farm.
Bovini
The Bovini tribe is made up of large to very large grazers, including large animals of great economic significance to humans in Domestic Cattle, Domestic buffalo, and the Yak, as well as smaller Asian relatives, and large free-roaming bovids in the African Buffalo and the American...
animals in the United Kingdom
United Kingdom
The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern IrelandIn the United Kingdom and Dependencies, other languages have been officially recognised as legitimate autochthonous languages under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages...
. It was established in the wake of the Bovine spongiform encephalopathy
Bovine spongiform encephalopathy
Bovine spongiform encephalopathy , commonly known as mad-cow disease, is a fatal neurodegenerative disease in cattle that causes a spongy degeneration in the brain and spinal cord. BSE has a long incubation period, about 30 months to 8 years, usually affecting adult cattle at a peak age onset of...
crisis in the UK, and is part of the Rural Payments Agency
Rural Payments Agency
The Rural Payments Agency is an executive agency of the UK Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs .The RPA was created on 16 October 2001 from the amalgamation of the Intervention Board for Agricultural Produce and the Defra Paying Agency as a single paying agency for most Common...
.
Every bovine animal in the United Kingdom
United Kingdom
The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern IrelandIn the United Kingdom and Dependencies, other languages have been officially recognised as legitimate autochthonous languages under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages...
(as elsewhere in the European Union
European Union
The European Union is an economic and political union of 27 independent member states which are located primarily in Europe. The EU traces its origins from the European Coal and Steel Community and the European Economic Community , formed by six countries in 1958...
) has a unique number, shown both on an ear tag in each ear and on a paper cattle passport which is held by the current keeper of the animal (the system covers both cattle
Cattle
Cattle are the most common type of large domesticated ungulates. They are a prominent modern member of the subfamily Bovinae, are the most widespread species of the genus Bos, and are most commonly classified collectively as Bos primigenius...
and other bovine animals such as water buffalo
Water buffalo
The water buffalo is a domesticated bovid widely kept in Asia, Europe and South America.Water buffalo can also refer to:*Wild water buffalo , the wild ancestor of the domestic water buffalo...
and bison
Bison
Members of the genus Bison are large, even-toed ungulates within the subfamily Bovinae. Two extant and four extinct species are recognized...
). The number and passport remain with the animal throughout its life, and is recorded by the slaughterhouse at its death, allowing traceability
Traceability
Traceability refers to the completeness of the information about every step in a process chain.The formal definition: Traceability is the ability to chronologically interrelate uniquely identifiable entities in a way that is verifiable....
of the beef
Beef
Beef is the culinary name for meat from bovines, especially domestic cattle. Beef can be harvested from cows, bulls, heifers or steers. It is one of the principal meats used in the cuisine of the Middle East , Australia, Argentina, Brazil, Europe and the United States, and is also important in...
. The BCMS central database works alongside the physical passport and records the births, deaths and movements of all cattle. Farmers interact with the service via the postal service using movement cards and passport applications or through the internet using either the CTS online service or through third party software.
Cattle Passport
The passport takes the form of a booklet. The front cover contains the animal details such as its unique ear number, sex, breed, date of birth and dam. The booklet contains pages for recording current and past keepers of the animal, and tear-out cards to be used for informing the BCMS of movements from farm to farm, to and from agricultural showAgricultural show
An agricultural show is a public event showcasing the equipment, animals, sports and recreation associated with agriculture and animal husbandry. The largest comprise a livestock show , a trade fair, competitions, and entertainment...
s, or to slaughter.
Ear tag number
The ear tag and passport number is in the format UK HHHHHH CNNNNN – this format has been in use since 2002, before which other formats were used. The current format breaks down as follows:- UK (or another EUEuropean UnionThe European Union is an economic and political union of 27 independent member states which are located primarily in Europe. The EU traces its origins from the European Coal and Steel Community and the European Economic Community , formed by six countries in 1958...
country abbreviation) – the country code; - H – a unique six-figure number given to each herd (usually one herd per farm, or one for each cattle enterprise on a farm);
- C – a check digitCheck digitA check digit is a form of redundancy check used for error detection, the decimal equivalent of a binary checksum. It consists of a single digit computed from the other digits in the message....
(cycling from 1 to 7; the check digit for the first calf varies from herd to herd); - N – a sequential five-figure number for each calf born into that herd (with leading zeros where necessary).
Numbering example: If a herd had the number 123456, its first three calves might have the numbers:
- UK 123456 600001
- UK 123456 700002
- UK 123456 100003
(Note that the example passport in the adjacent illustration has the number "UK 123456 789012" – this is not a realistic number, because it would have to be the 89,012th calf born into the herd.)
The check digit highlights most errors in reading or recording the sequential number. A single-figure error in the sequential number will not match the check digit, unless it happens to produce a figure differing by a multiple of seven (for example, "600016" would have to be misread as "600086", or "500010" as "500080"). Double errors in both the sequential number and the check digit are also unlikely to produce genuine animal numbers. An error in the herd number might generate the herd number for another herd, but the check digit for the first calf varies between herds, so only one in seven such errors would produce an animal number for that herd with the correct check digit.
Similar numbering is used for sheep and goats, with the omission of the check digit (and there is no individual paper passport). The number assigned to a sheep and goat flock is usually (but not always) the same six-figure number as that assigned to a cattle herd on the same farm.