Replace eartag by chip
Press release 4 November 2004Appeal of Nederlandse Belangenvereniging van Hobbydierhouders:
Replace eartag by chip!
All holders of sheep, goats, cows and pigs can safely remove the eartags from their animals. The friendly alternative – the chip – has a legal basis now, because on November 4th the Amsterdam police judge, Josephus Jitta, has sentenced in the case of Dafne Westerhof and the Family Bofkont. She (Dafne) was prosecuted for not eartagging (I&R-regulation) her animals (The Family Bofkont), but was acquitted because the Animal Health and Welfare Bill overrules the Regulation.
The NBvH (Dutch Smallholders Association) is negotiating with the Ministry of Agriculture for starting a separate Identification & Registration- system (I&R) of hobby held farm animals. This system meets the use of chips as identification. According to the NBvH the verdict of the Amsterdam police judge opens the way for introducing this separate I&R-system
”Now there is no impediment to register our animals in a friendly manner”, says chairman Paula Polman, “And that will stimulate the willingness of smallholders to register. Smallholders are very reluctant to use the eartags and many ask us when they can chip their animals. The Ministry has stopped this up to now, but they can not do this anymore.”
The I&R-system of the NBvH has a very appropriate name, Noach. It consists of a central database, in which relevant information is recorded. One of those data is the chip number.
The NBvH wants to differentiate hobby animals and production animals by means of separate identification and registration and thus to make possible differentiation of animal disease control policy (preventive vaccination in case of an outbreak of FMD, CSF and exclusion from scrapie breeding programme, etcetera). Anyone who wants to have their animals chipped, can call their vet. For the time being the chip number can be kept at the special section (Unique Business Number), issued by the Department. The NBvH expects a total disconnection from Agriculture-Registration at the beginning of 2005.