Stay compliant and never miss calf registrations again with Herdwatch

Spring calving is one of the most hectic times of year on any Irish cattle farm. Between keeping an eye on cows close to calving, managing newborns and handling the daily workload, paperwork can easily slip down the priority list.

But when it comes to calf registration in Ireland, staying on top of the deadlines is not optional, and the consequences of falling behind can follow you into your next Bord Bia farm inspection or DAFM compliance check.

Herdwatch is designed to take the hassle out of calf registrations, movement certificates and herd records, so you can focus on what matters most during calving season.

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What are the rules on calf registration in Ireland?

Under Irish regulations set out by DAFM (the Department of Agriculture, Food and the Marine), all calves must be registered within 27 days of birth. This applies to both dairy and beef herds.

The process involves tagging the calf with the ear tags issued to your herd, which are linked to your DAFM-assigned herd number, and submitting the registration details to DAFM’s AIMS (Animal Identification and Movement System).

For suckler farmers participating in the SCEP (Suckler Carbon Efficiency Programme) scheme, accurate and timely calf registration is also a direct programme requirement. Missing the 27-day window, recording incorrect dam or sire details, or failing to register at all can result in compliance issues that affect your scheme payments.

ICBF (the Irish Cattle Breeding Federation) also relies on accurate birth and parentage data submitted through the registration process for genetic evaluations. If you are breeding replacements or selling bulls, the quality of your ICBF data matters, and it all starts with a correctly submitted calf registration.

How to register a calf using Herdwatch

Herdwatch connects directly to DAFM, so you can register calves without logging into a separate government portal. The whole process can be done from your phone, right in the yard or the shed.

Registering an individual calf

1. On the home screen, select the ‘Calf Registration’ icon, or tap the orange plus (+) button and select ‘Calf’
2. Select the calf’s gender
3. Enter the tag number or use the ‘Scan Tag’ button on a mobile device to scan the ear tag directly
4. Enter the date of birth and calving difficulty
5. Select the dam and sire. If you have breeding records for the dam already in Herdwatch, the sire information will populate automatically
6. Add any additional details as required, scheme information, pedigree name, birth weight, genetic dam, and so on
7. Tap ‘Save’. If all required details are in order, you will be prompted to register the calf immediately
8. Tap ‘Register Calf Now’, enter your PIN and Herdwatch will send the details directly to DAFM
9. You will receive a confirmation message once the registration has been submitted successfully

Bulk register calves

During a busy calving period, you may want to enter several calves and register them all in one submission rather than one by one. Herdwatch’s batch registration feature is built for exactly this.

1. Enter each calf’s details as normal. When prompted to register, select ‘Not Now’ and move on to the next calf
2. Once you have entered all the calves you want to register, return to the home screen and select ‘Calf Registration’
3. Tap ‘Register Saved Calves’, then ‘Batch Register’ at the top of the list
4. Select the calves you want to include in this batch submission
5. Tap ‘Save’, enter your Herdwatch PIN, and all selected calves will be submitted to DAFM simultaneously

This approach works well for farmers who prefer to check all the details at their own pace before submitting which is particularly useful when registrations involve SCEP scheme data or pedigree information.

Tagging calves in Ireland

Correct tagging is the foundation of calf registration in Ireland. Calves must be tagged with two DAFM-approved ear tags, one in each ear, before they leave the farm, and ideally within the first few days of birth.

The tag numbers must match the details you submit to AIMS.

Common mistakes to avoid:

• Tagging the wrong calf, particularly easy to do during a busy night calving
• Transposing digits when entering tag numbers manually
• Recording incorrect dam details when a cow has recently changed pen
• Forgetting to register a calf born outside normal hours or at the weekend

Herdwatch’s tag scanning feature eliminates transcription errors, and the automatic DAFM submission means you do not need to remember to log in separately later to complete the registration.

Our trusted cattle management software can help with your day-to-day farming tasks.

How to apply for a calf movement certificate with Herdwatch

Every movement of cattle in Ireland requires a completed movement document, the ER94C form, submitted to DAFM through AIMS.

With Herdwatch, you can apply for movement certificates directly from your phone in the yard.

Select the animals being sold, enter the buyer’s herd number and apply for the movement certificate on the spot.

It is straightforward, and it means you are never holding up a sale because the paperwork is not ready.

Calf registrations in Bord Bia inspections

For farmers in the Bord Bia Quality Assurance scheme, which covers both beef and dairy herds, accurate and up-to-date records are non-negotiable. A Bord Bia farm inspection will check your medicine records, movement documentation, calf registration compliance and animal ID records.

Herdwatch keeps all of this information in one place and allows you to download records in report format in advance of an audit.

Instead of looking through paper registers or multiple spreadsheets the night before an inspector arrives, you can pull a clean, organised report in minutes.

Why more than 20,000 Irish farmers trust Herdwatch

Herdwatch is used by over 20,000 farmers across Ireland , from spring,calving suckler herds to large dairy operations. It is built around the way Irish farming actually works: in the yard, in the shed, in the dark at two in the morning when a cow is calving.

If calf registrations, movement records and farm compliance are taking up more time than they should, Herdwatch is worth a look. Sign up for a free trial or request a quote from our friendly team.