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What Was That About Tailtags For Cattle?

The introduction of the new National Livestock Identification Scheme (NLIS) for cattle seems to have caused a bit of confusion about the use of tailtags.

By Department of Primary Industries - 20th January 2004 - Back to News

The tailtag system was originally introduced to identify the property where cattle last resided. This allowed tracing of cattle in the event of disease outbreaks or detection of chemical residues in a carcass. It has worked well for many years but we are now moving into another era where customers are more demanding. Markets are looking for cattle that can be traced quickly and accurately to every property on which they have resided. This has become particularly important with the current international concerns about Foot and Mouth and Mad Cow Disease.

Before dispatching cattle for sale, tailtags must still be applied even if your cattle have NLIS tags attached. Current Victorian tailtag numbers contain your Property Identification Code (PICs) and begin with a ‘3’. For example 3ABCD456. Previously Victorian tailtags started with ‘V’. The ‘V’ tags are now illegal and need to either be destroyed or returned to your local DPI office.

Farmers intending to sell cattle need to apply to DPI for both a PIC and tailtags. Tailtags for your property are free of charge and are ordered in rolls of 100. NLIS requirements may mean some farmers will also need to order electronic NLIS devices to identify cattle prior to dispatch for sale.

Cattle with docked tails should not have tailtags applied as these can fall off. These cattle must have adult ear tags applied. These adult ear tags are official tags issued by the DPI. They are similar to management tags but have your PIC printed on them. These adult ear tags should also begin with a ‘3’. If you still have adult ear tags beginning with a ‘V’, please contact your local DPI office or the DPI hotline during business hours on the number listed below.

Bobby calves must have applied a white bobby calf ear tag which has your PIC printed on it. These tags are also available free of charge. A bobby calf is defined as an animal that is under 6 weeks of age and that is not accompanied by its dam. Calves accompanied by their dams are not considered bobby calves and therefore must carry both an NLIS device and either a tailtag or adult ear tag.

If you have any further queries please contact your local DPI office. For Bairnsdale call

5152 0600, Maffra 5147 0800, Leongatha 5662 9900, Ellinbank 5624 2222, or Box Hill 9296 4400, or call the DPI tag hotline on 1800 678 779.

THE SCRATCHING DOG.

During summer flea infestations of dogs and cats can become a problem. Some dogs are affected more by flea bites than others. They can become super sensitive or highly allergic to fleas and literally one bite from a flea can provoke intense irritation, scratching and licking. Most of the skin damage on dogs with a flea bite allergy is self-mutilation which is often loosely termed ‘eczema’, in fact it is an allergic dermatitis.

The flea life cycle is worthy of consideration when treating an infested dog or cat. The adult flea spends less than 10 percent of its life on the host animal. Following a blood feed they will lay eggs either on the host or in dust, debris or bedding on the ground. The eggs hatch in around five to seven days. The larval flea spins a cocoon, pupates for around two weeks and then the adult emerges attaches to a host, feeds and lays eggs, so starting the cycle again. Numbers under ideal conditions can build rapidly. With regular feeding the adults will live for months.

There are a large number of products available that will kill fleas. These include insecticidal soaps, sprays, skin washes, flea powders, and flea collars. All these quite successfully kill fleas on the host animal at the time of application. Because only 10 percent of the insects are on the host animal at any given time reinfestation can occur the day after treatment. Over recent years a number of highly effective products that will kill fleas in the environment as well as those on the host animal have become available. Most of these are ‘spot ons’, some are monthly tablets. The ‘spot on’ chemicals are applied on the skin between the shoulder blades where the animal cannot lick, at monthly intervals.

Another less common cause of scratching in dogs is mange. This is caused by infestation by mites, which are tiny members of the spider family. If an animal treated correctly for flea infestation does not respond, a visit to the Vet for a skin scraping and microscopic examination may be necessary. There are now highly effective miticide preparations available. Treatment for the allergic response to either fleas or mites can be given at this time by the veterinarian.

Source: http://gippsland.com/

Published by: news@gippsland.com

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