Switch Over to ScotEID - Interim Q and A - Internal Use

The Switch Over of Scottish cattle keepers, abattoirs and markets is set for the 4^th October 2021. From the 4^th October 2021 , all cattle birth registrations, movements and deaths are recorded on ScotEID by Scottish keepers, abattoirs and markets.

To ease the introduction of the data volumes being sent back to CTS from ScotEID, data required to maintain an interim GB view, a ‘Soft Approach’ is being adopted, resulting in a gradual switch over of the abattoirs and markets to send their cattle data directly to ScotEID.

To date (July 2021), all the larger abattoirs and three markets, Lanark, Thainstone and Caithness have switched over to feed their data direct to ScotEID, with the remainder of the markets due to switch over by the end of July. The smaller abattoirs will switch over with the keepers in October.

These questions and answers represent what has been established at the time of writing (updated July 2021) and cover the following:

• Background
• The ‘Soft Approach’
• Moving from CTS Online
• Birth registrations
• The new Scottish passport
• Passport amendments
• Movements
• Imports
• Exports
• Deaths
• Cross border moves
• Inspections
• Introduction of representatives (includes agents)
• About ScotEID
• More about ScotMoves+
• Contacting ScotEID
• Differences between ScotEID and BCMS data handling
• The use of Web services
• The use of CETAS
• Helplines and client contact
• Forms and bar code labels
• Impact on BCMS
• BCMS - CTS anomalies
• BCMS - CTS application and movements errors
• Suppression of auto generated output to Scottish keepers, abattoirs and markets
• Data requests for Scottish data
• BCMS and ScotEID working together
• The transfer of work in progress for the 4^th October
• Proposed communications
• After the 4^th of October

CTS was introduced in 1998 for animal movement recording for Great Britain. Thanks to the BCMS (British Cattle Movement Service), CTS has served the cattle industry well beyond what could be expected from a legacy system approaching twenty-five years old.

England, Scotland and Wales are creating ‘All Species Traceability Systems’. Northern Ireland already has its own system and does not use CTS.

It was recognised that the needs of the agricultural industry for all species systems are more efficiently and accurately met by separate systems for each country. This is due in part to differing policies and practices across the industry.

Yes, for animals moving from Scotland to England, Scotland to Wales and vice versa, the systems will exchange details of the cross border move and the animal’s data and movement history as required. (See Cross Border Moves and The use of Web Services).

There is a separate piece of work that is creating a ‘UK View’ managed by LI Ltd. This will provide access to all the data present in the four systems for the purposes of trade reports, and other requests requiring access to UK data as a whole. This will replace the current ‘GB View’ that is provided by the Cattle Tracing System (CTS) at the British Cattle Movement Service (BCMS).

England is creating a new all species system called the Livestock Information System (LIS).

Northern Ireland’s system is the The Northern Ireland Food Animal Information System (NIFAIS), previously APHIS.

Scotland is adding more data capture functionality to the ScotEID system. (www.ScotEID.com)

Wales is adding cattle recording to the EIDCymru system.(www.EIDCymru.org)

Between now and April 2022 which is the date set for the shutdown of CTS, users of CTS, and the services provided by CTS, switch over to the new systems of the appropriate country.

Dates available are:

Scotland - 4^th October 2021.

Wales - February 2022?.

England - March 2022?.

(Northern Ireland does not use CTS).

There is a requirement to continue to support the Cattle Tracing System (CTS) and its provision of the GB View. To meet this, birth, movement and death data captured by each system, when in operation, will feed back to CTS in the interim period whilst CTS continues to exist and prior to the ‘UK View’ being available.

To reduce the risk that the impact of the change may have on the Cattle Tracing System (CTS).

When ScotEID captures all the cattle movement, birth and death data from the abattoirs, markets, and keepers, the data must be sent back from ScotEID to CTS in order to maintain the GB View whilst work is ongoing in Wales and England to replace CTS. Original concerns were that the stability of CTS may be compromised by the ScotEID data feed however with the abattoir and market data being fed to CTS, these concerns have been al

The chosen method for sending the data back to CTS is the existing CTS Web Service (CTS WS). There were concerns that switching large data volumes, from the current ‘SIS’ used by markets and abattoirs to the CTS WS, could negatively impact the running of CTS.

To reduce this risk, some Scottish abattoirs and markets have switched over during the Soft Approach prior to the 4^th October 2021, which begun in March.

March 2021, with the remaining larger abattoirs in June 2021 and the markets switching over during July 2021.

Instead of sending the data captured on death or at point of sale to CTS via SIS (a method of sending file updates to CTS), the abattoirs and markets use a web service built by ScotEID to exchange data directly with ScotEID.

Switching over on the 4^th October 2021 are:

• the Scottish keepers,
• their representatives (including agents),
• farming software management companies
• smaller abattoirs that use CTSOnline to enter cattle records

Farming software management companies use the web service provided by ScotEID to exchange data directly. This is not a new web service but an enhancement of the existing ScotMoves web service.

Scottish keepers are switching over from using CTS Online to using ScotEID for cattle recording on the 4^th October 2021.

Yes, this has been requested. Data recorded on CTS Online after the Switch Over is not transferred from CTS to ScotEID. Keepers must use ScotEID to record their cattle births, on-farm deaths and movements.

Yes. Abattoirs and markets will have read-only access to CTSOnline to look up animal details and movement histories of animals that have crossed the border to the market or abattoir.

Keepers will be able to view all their cattle data on ScotEID including data recorded by the marts and abattoirs as well as themselves. ScotEID will provide options to register a birth, notify a private sale movement, record a death, track requests, amend passports, import animals and more.

All cattle on the holding can be viewed on ScotEID now. Either via ScotMoves, if the keeper uses ScotMoves or via the BVD Lookup. The keeper must sign up to ScotEID if he doesn’t already have a username and password and then login for their animal data to be available for viewing.

Yes, unless the keeper is registered for ScotMoves (at present, we believe that an existing registration for ScotMoves will be accepted for all cattle recording).

Yes. Keepers who already have a ScotEID username and password which they use, must use this to register for cattle recording. We recommend that a keeper has only one username and password on ScotEID for all species and recording.

(There is re-design work scheduled in the user account area on ScotEID.)

Yes, after the Switch Over. This is the preferred method of recording a birth registration.

• the next tags available for use on a dropdown
• the dams available on a dropdown or 3 digit select
• the sires on the holding on a dropdown or 3 digit select
• a calendar to select the birth date
• dropdown selection for breed code

A dam that has previously calved within the last 240 days is not available to select and the keeper must contact ScotEID to register a calf where the Dam Gap validation is less than would normally be expected. An option is available to record multiple births.

A birth registration can be recorded by telephoning ScotEID. The ScotEID team member answering the call ‘masquerades’ online on ScotEID as the keeper’s account and registers the calf, there and then on ScotEID, using the details provided by the keeper. It is noted on the data record captured the user ID of the ScotEID team member who registered the calf on behalf of the keeper calling in the birth registration. Whilst ScotEID online is available 24 hours a day, ScotEID will accept cattle movements and deaths over the phone during office hours.

Keepers phoning ScotEID to register a birth, record a movement or death, if their email is available, receive email confirmations. Keepers can opt out if they wish.

PPAFs are Passport Application Forms that are issued to keepers by BCMS currently, if they select this option when ordering their cattle ear tags.

Yes, for a period of time, post Switch Over, ScotEID is accepting PPAFs; either redirected from BCMS or direct from the keeper. However, these are processed by telephoning the keeper and actioned in the same way as an ‘over the phone’ birth registration. The keeper is encouraged to use the over the phone or online options for subsequent birth registrations.

No, the issue of PPAFs is to be stopped and the option removed for Scottish keepers on tag ordering. There are currently less than 300 keepers out of the 10,500 Scottish cattle keepers that have the PPAF option selected when ordering tags.

Yes. There is a new Scottish passport which is issued by the Scottish Government. The bar codes and data on the new passport are in identical positions to the existing passport. ScotEID has introduced a ‘QR code’ for easy animal ID scanning and digital capture, convenient for mobile phone and tablet use.

Passports continue to be required in Scotland to accommodate cross border moves until such time that the other systems in the UK can operate without passports and / or Bovine EID is adopted. Legislation changes are required for the removal of passports.

Yes, there are similar security features to the current passport.

Yes, the Scottish Passport will be valid when animal moves to England or Wales. The UK passports of animals in Scotland / or moving into Scotland will remain valid.

No, a Scottish passport will be issued on birth registrations, passport replacements and re-issues as required after the Switch Over.

Births registrations processed successfully on BCMS prior to the 4^th October 2021 will be issued with UK passports. Birth registrations that are work in progress will be handed over to ScotEID.

A replacement passport can be requested if ScotEID is notified it has not been received within 14 days. This also applies to passports originally applied for at BCMS in the days before the Switch Over. Scottish Keepers must notify ScotEID if they have not received passports requested from BCMS in the days prior to the Switch Over.

ScotEID is to accept passport amendments by uploading the scanned passport with changes marked on to ScotEID, or by email or post. Scanned passports uploaded or emailed must be posted to ScotEID for destruction, even though they have been uploaded, in line with current Policy. However, initiating the passport amendment by uploading or emailing, results in a quicker return of the new passport.

Yes. A passport amendment required for an animal located in Scotland must be requested / sent to ScotEID.

After the Switch Over, passports sent to BCMS for amendment for animals located in Scotland are forwarded to ScotEID for amendment or replacement and re-issue.

Passports amendments in progress at BCMS that are not completed by the 4^th October 2021 will be handed over to ScotEID to complete and re-issue.

The same applies for replacements where passports are lost or damaged. If the passport exists, it must be sent to ScotEID for replacement and for lost passports, keepers must contact ScotEID. The same rules apply as currently adopted by BCMS. If ScotEID is contacted within six weeks of issue, the passport is replaced free of charge. Beyond six weeks from the original issue there is a charge of £20 to replace a passport.

Business to business, private sale moves, show moves and bull hire moves, currently recorded on the Cattle Tracing System (CTS) at the British Cattle Movements Service, from the 4^th October 2021 are recorded by Scottish keepers directly on ScotEID, either online or by phone.

In Scotland, when an animal is sold through a market, the market records the move from the selling farm to the market, and after the sale, from the market to the purchasing farm. This is referred to as a four way move. ScotEID will then send the OFF farm, ON market, OFF market and ON farm moves to CTS, ie 4 individual moves.

The abattoirs record, the move from the farm or market to the abattoir and the death. For these, ScotEID sends an OFF farm or market move, an ON abattoir move and a death record to CTS, three distinct records.

ScotEID will not reject data sent in to be captured including paper movements. However paper movements received by post are processed in the same way as ‘over the phone’ movement recording, when the keeper is telephoned. To ensure timely and accurate recording, keepers sending in paper movements are encouraged to use the ‘over the phone’ or online recording options available at ScotEID.

No, ScotEID offers online or over the phone for all data capture.

After the Switch Over, keepers must contact ScotEID for all requests including errors, and existing pending items relating to cattle movements.

Yes. Internal cattle moves, referred to as ‘within business moves’, to additional holdings and between additional holdings must continue to be recorded.

Yes. There are plans to introduce ‘Notify’ for private sales and including show moves and for bull hire. This would mean for a private sale, i.e. business to business move, the seller would record the intended destination - ‘notifying’ ScotEID of the buyer CPH (main location code) when recording the animal moves. The buyer would then confirm the private sale as complete on ScotEID, only if all the information, ie the move date and the animal IDs, is correct. ScotEID will assist in issues arising regarding confirmations.

There are legislation changes required to put this in place. However, ‘Notify’ will be available on ScotEID after the Switch Over and its use is highly recommended.

The integrity and accuracy of the data on ScotEID is determined by those providing the data. It is essential that ScotEID works to ensure the means of data capture avoids the creation of errors and where possible assists keepers throughout the process by making data available for them to use in recording movements, registering births, etc.

The use of ‘Notify’ enables us to reduce two of the main areas that are prone to errors in animal movement data capture. These are:

1. The reconciliation of OFF moves and ON moves. Asking the seller along with his CPH (departure holding) to also provide the CPH of the buyer (destination holding) gives ScotEID both ends of the move, which is referred to as a ‘vector’ move. (See vector moves). This maintains the link in the chain for the traceability of those animals in the private sale. ScotEID uses vector moves for all movement recording.
2. Data capture involving the transcribing and entering of animal IDs. Animal IDs are 14 digit alpha numeric identifiers which require concentration to key in, or even to scan from passports in large numbers. ScotEID works to ensure that animal IDs are selected from IDs available; whether that is, for example, from a ‘next tags available’ list or an ‘animals on holding’ listing. In the case of the use of ‘Notify’, the animals in the private sale are selected by the seller from his ‘animals on holding’ list to record the move. Using ‘Notify’ the animals would then be listed on the buyers account to confirm, avoiding the need for the buyer to enter the animal IDs and errors occurring due to ID capture issues.

The current capture of Off and On moves by CTS, means the locations of around 50,000 animals in Scotland are unknown due to anomalies in CTS reconciliation processing at any point in time. This requires a large scale reconciliation effort which is labour intensive and time consuming and results in anomalies which sometimes can’t be resolved and remain outstanding for years.

Yes, abattoirs record the move from the farm to the abattoir and markets record the move from the selling farm to the market and off the market to the buyer’s location.

Yes. Work is under way to reduce the burden on keepers by adopting ScotEID as their on-farm herd register. This would bring all recording inline with internal (within business) moves recording on ScotMoves which is required to be recorded on ScotMoves within 2 days and there is no requirement to record internal moves in the on-farm herd register. Legislation is required for this change to be available.

3 days. An external move includes ‘sale, show or hire’ moves. This time allowed to record is not changing. However considerations are being made by the Scottish Government Policy Team and the Industry, regarding the difference between the recording of internal moves at 2 days and external moves (including sales, shows and bull hire) at 3 days to what will be the same system and all captured digitally.

Yes, this applies to all imports. Cattle from the EU and from non-EU countries.

Yes. Animals imported from EU countries will be issued with a Scottish passport on application. Original passports are returned to ScotEID.

Yes. Animals imported from non-EU countries will be retagged and issued with a Scottish passport. Original passports are returned to ScotEID.

No. ScotEID has access to ETAS, or LUIS (if it is in place by October) and will update with the tags from the EU animals. ScotEID will issue a Scottish Passport for the imported animals. Original passports are returned to ScotEID.

Yes.

On farm deaths can be recorded online or over the phone to ScotEID. Returned passports of the dead animals can be marked with the date of death and the box ticked. However for timeliness and accuracy, online recording or by phone is favoured.

Yes. (Certain areas of the Highlands and Islands are exempt from TSE sampling.)

Yes. Each abattoir sends notification of the deaths recorded at the abattoir to ScotEID electronically using a web service. (Abattoirs also record the move from the farm to the abattoir.)

After Switch Over, ScotEID handles all aspects of Scottish cattle data recording and errors. ‘Resurrections’, where an animal has been recorded as dead but isn’t, will be handled by ScotEID.

For a sale, show or hire move, the Scottish keeper on ScotEID notifies the move from his or her holding to the holding in England. For a market sale at a Scottish market, the market would record the move off the market to the English holding and send the data to ScotEID.

The keeper at the destination holding in Scotland is asked to notify ScotEID by recording the departure holding the animals have come from when recording the animals moving on to his or her holding.

When English keepers are using the new Livestock Information System (LIS) cross border moves along with the full movement history of the animal will be exchanged between ScotEID and LIS using a web service. The same will apply between ScotEID and EID Cymru for animals moving between Scotland and Wales.

After Switch Over he must register with ScotEID for cattle records including births, deaths and movements for his holding in Scotland. For his holding in England he continues to use the BCMS and record his records on CTS.

No, a keeper cannot consider the English holding to be an additional holding and record the moves as internal moves on ScotMoves. They must be recorded as an external move, i.e business to business move. These would be treated as cross border moves by the systems.

Yes. Inspectors, along with APHA, Local Authorities and others, are assigned a read only access to ScotEID.

The inspection packs themselves are produced by RPID LIS as they are at present. The existing web service for the data exchange between RPID LIS and ScotEID for ScotMoves is enhanced to add births, deaths and movements. When RPID swaps over to use the data on ScotEID for all cattle records has yet to be decided. It may continue to use BCMS and CTS for a period of time after the switch over.

Yes. Keepers can record findings themselves on ScotEID after the inspection or when ScotEID receives the inspection findings, any amendments required to the data are done on the keeper’s behalf.

Yes. ScotEID will process all aspects of passport management relating to animal movement after the switch over.

Yes, after the switch over, inspectors contact ScotEID for all aspects of cattle recording, in the same way they do now for sheep, pigs and ScotMoves, on the helpline 01466 794323.

ScotEID plans to introduce the ability for a keeper to nominate ‘a representative’ to record cattle records on his behalf. A representative could be the farm manager, or secretary, or farm consultant, or agent. A representative could be a family member or friend, anyone who does the cattle recording on the farmer or keeper’s behalf.

The keeper must nominate the representative on ScotEID and sign an agreement to say that the representative can record cattle records on his behalf. On ScotEID, the representative is given access to the keeper’s cattle records and the user ID (UID) of the representative is captured for all data recorded by the representative against each cattle record added.

The keeper must inform ScotEID and end date the agreement that is in place for that representative. After the end date of the agreement, the representative no longer has access to the keeper’s cattle records on ScotEID.

Yes.

No. Agents, whether Scottish or English, with Scottish clients must use ScotEID.

No. The keeper is required to contact ScotEID to set up the agreement for each representative to give permission to enter cattle records on his or her behalf.

Yes. ScotEID was established to research and develop animal EID and traceability systems in 2006. More information is available on the ScotEID home page here.

The ScotEID Information Centre is based in the Huntly Business Centre in Huntly, Aberdeenshire.

Based at the Information Centre are 15 information assistants, a mix of part time and full time, managing the day to day running of ScotEID. This includes all incoming and outgoing calls and emails and first line support to Scotland’s 20,000 livestock keepers. All output from ScotEID, including reminder emails and letters come from the Information Centre at Huntly. The Information Centre assistants work with the systems liaison and the technical team, to develop, test and adopt all new processes, methods and functionality required at the Information Centre for new developments and as part of the continuous improvement programme for ScotEID.

Yes, the ScotEID Information Centre achieves the ISO 9001:2015 accreditation each year.

ScotEID technical support requirements, day to day systems management, data requests, integration management including web services and development work, such as ScotMoves+, is managed and undertaken by the technical team of three, with the use of specialist resource as and when required.

ScotEID field support requirements, EID development and trials, including the recent introduction of bovine EID readers in markets and abattoirs, and the live data feeds to ScotEID, is carried out by the field support team of two.

ScotEID is a limited company and run by SAOS, a not-for-profit agricultural organisation. There are five members on the board of ScotEID, two of whom have full time roles in ScotEID, the managing director and the technical director.

Signed up users currently stand at 14,450. However some functions can be accessed without being signed up.

ScotEID enables the capture of sheep and pig moves from Scottish keepers, markets and abattoirs, assisting in meeting regulations and ensuring compliance with Scottish Government Policy and Legislation.

• ScotEID.com provides 24/7 movement recording for Scottish keepers, abattoirs and markets
• Sheep movements since 2008 - EID reads captured and monitored from 29 markets and 20 abattoirs (includes seasonal and part-time) - cross border moves exchanged
• Pig movements since 2011 - All pig sales are pre-notified, then confirmed on ScotEID - cross border moves exchanged
• Cattle BVD Eradication Scheme since 2014 - 10,500 cattle keepers supported
• ScotMoves since 2016 - 3.5m moves recorded from 4,700 cattle keepers
• SPECC - in association with QMS - providing ‘Scotch Assurance’ eligibility online checking for all cattle and their movement history in Scotland - and accessed by keepers, markets and abattoirs for immediate SPECC qualification check
• BES - Data capture for the Beef Efficiency Scheme since 2016
• ScotEquine Pilot - registration, location and ID card issue available for all horses in Scotland
• EID capture from 29 markets and 20 abattoirs with CCP status in Scotland.

Yes. In 2016, ScotEID replaced the BCMS CTS links system in Scotland with ‘ScotMoves’. Scottish keepers who use additional holdings to their main holding, since 2016 have recorded all their ‘within business’ cattle moves, for example, moves to Summer grazing, or over wintering on other holdings on ScotMoves.

At the time of writing 4,765 cattle keepers are signed up to use ScotMoves. Recording over 3.5m internal moves (within business moves) since 2016. In addition ScotEID has contact with the remainder of the cattle keepers in the management of the BVD Eradication Scheme.

Yes. ScotEID has developed a UHF electronic tag to be introduced later this year(available now for those wishing to adopt the technology). UHF tag readers are already in place at market and abattoirs in readiness, with trials taking place capturing bovine EID reads from across the country.

ScotEID provides data;

• for research into animal disease control and eradication,
• for animal production performance,
• for emergency planning in the event of disease outbreaks,
• for crisis management
• to Scottish Government for schemes, monitoring and statistics
• to Scottish Government Inspectorate Division for inspection selection and compliance monitoring
• to Scotland’s universities and research institutions through the organisation EPIC.
• ScotEID supports the recent innovative developments by SAOS, Carbon Positive and the Livestock Performance Programme (LPP).

For more information please contact ScotEID 01466 794323.

ScotMoves+ is the project name given to the additional work required to the ScotEID system to incorporate cattle births, deaths and movements on ScotEID.

Initial investigations and contact with BCMS began in August of 2018 for the CTS transition work required at BCMS. ScotMoves+ work at ScotEID began in early 2020.

ScotEID can be contacted on 01466 794323 or help@scoteid.com.

No. This is the number, 01466 794323, that BCMS use to contact ScotEID currently and this remains the same during the Soft Launch and after the Switch Over.

When a keeper enters a movement on ScotEID, the data available for selection is determined by validation in the system prior to presenting on the webpage. For example, a keeper is presented with only the animals on his holding to select for moving. He must enter / select a valid CPH. Checks are done immediately on the CPH being entered / selected and on the movement date. If all are valid, then the record is captured on ScotEID and immediately viewable as a movement.

The age of CTS has meant it has not been possible to change CTS inline with technical developments in data capture and storage. CTS first captures the data, then processes offline overnight, returning errors in the data captured via the traffic light system on CTS Online, to the keeper accounts the following day.

ScotEID records the transition of the animal from A to B in one record. This is referred to as a vector move. CTS records the move off of ‘A’ and the move on to ‘B’ as two separate movement records.

By capturing the complete move, ScotEID has all the information required for traceability as soon as the move is entered. At no point does ScotEID only have an off move with no record of where the animal has gone, or an on move with no record of where the animal has come from. (Allowing for the request to notify for private sales - see question in Movements section.)

No. The recording of vector moves means that inferred on or off moves do not apply. However ScotEID does monitor the data for inconsistencies and would contact the keeper to ensure the accuracy of the data if an issue where to become evident.

No. ScotEID monitors inaccuracies in the data and contacts the appropriate person, be it, the keeper or the abattoir to determine the status of the animal and if required amend the data on the keeper’s behalf with their permission.

Whoever enters the cattle records on ScotEID, or sends via a web service is responsible for the records entered. For example, if a keeper forgets to record a move for an animal, it is the keeper that must enter the move or if that is no longer possible, the keeper must instruct ScotEID to enter the move on his ScotEID account on his behalf.

The same applies for the markets and abattoirs. They are responsible for the data they send and must make any corrections identified. Market and abattoir errors / warnings are displayed on ScotEID, and ensuring errors are addressed by the markets and abattoirs within agreed timescales is monitored by ScotEID. However a keeper must check regularly that the cattle records for his / her holding on ScotEID are accurate, especially after sales and shows.

Each entity, be it a keeper, market, or abattoir that enters/ sends the cattle records to ScotEID remains the owner of the data they entered. Collectively, the data is managed by ScotEID, for the industry and used for traceability purposes, disease control, disease eradication and monitoring, and, research and development.

From Technopedia: A Web service is a software service used to communicate between two devices on a network.

More specifically, a Web service is a software application with a standardised way of providing interoperability between disparate applications. It does so over HTTP using technologies such as XML, SOAP, WSDL, and UDDI.

Yes. ScotEID will use the CTS Web Service, provided by CTS. This is an existing web service available at CTS and used by other applications such as farm software management companies to update CTS with the data entered directly on their software systems by keepers and then updated to CTS.

Yes. More information can be found here for those that wish to integrate with ScotEID.

No, the daily feeds and weekly snapshots sent from CTS to ScotEID are not via a web service. These updates are files.

CETAS is the Cattle Ear Tag Allocation System run by BCMS for ear tag manufacturers and cattle keepers.

When a keeper orders ear tags from a manufacturer, CETAS is updated with the details of the order. These ear tag numbers are then available to the keeper when registering a calf so the keeper can select the ear tag number he has used to tag the calf and this becomes the animal ID for that calf. Cattle keep the same ID for life as long as they remain in the UK and Europe.

Scottish keepers must contact ScotEID. After the Switch Over, calls to BCMS are redirected (method still to be determined by BCMS) to ScotEID. ScotEID will have the required access to ear tag information and the ability to cancel tags if required.

Yes. ScotEID has a helpline for all those that use ScotEID and feed data to ScotEID, including keepers, abattoirs, markets, local authorities, Scottish Government, APHA, RPID. The helpline number is 01466 794323.

Yes. This is the number to be used by all, including BCMS, to contact ScotEID.

After the Switch Over, Scottish keepers contact ScotEID for all matters relating to cattle data recording, including passport issuing and amendments. Any amendments required to the data must be made on ScotEID. Any passport amendments in progress at BCMS at the time of the Switch Over will transfer to ScotEID.

Yes, where a form is required for processing, ScotEID will issue the form or make it available to download online. However, ScotEID is always working to reduce the use of paper forms, completion and posting required by keepers.

Yes. To comply with new data laws, the name must be removed from the bar code labels. ScotEID will issue bar code labels to Scottish keepers in the same format and size but without the keeper name.

Yes. If they run out after the 4^th October, bar code labels can be ordered from ScotEID.

In October / November of 2020 BCMS ran a series of workshops to highlight what BCMS was required to do regarding changes to CTS for the Switch Over of the cattle recording to ScotEID.

The workshops determined where work in progress would need to be handed over to ScotEID and identified where BCMS may need to contact ScotEID from queries resulting from the Soft Approach and after the Switch Over.

During the ‘Soft Approach’ as each abattoir and market switches over, and after the switch over of the keepers and software management companies, ScotEID becomes the source of the data and takes responsibility for the capture and management of the data. CTS becomes a data store for the data sent from ScotEID for the purposes of the GB view.

No. Any amendments or updates, considered necessary by BCMS, must be requested on ScotEID and if appropriate, amended on ScotEID then sent to CTS.

CTS and ScotEID would then become out of step as that change would not be reflected on ScotEID.

On ScotEID. If access is required, please contact help@scoteid.com.

An anomaly is a deviation from the common rule, type, arrangement, or form. Within the context of CTS, it is where using a set of pre-determined parameters and algorithms, CTS highlights that a movement or data element deviates from that which CTS expects. For example, a move recorded OFF the farm when the death has already been recorded by the abattoir would be considered an anomaly.

Overnight processing, the timing of the data capture, the recording of duplicate moves, the use of separate OFF and ON moves, the acceptance of paper registrations and movements, assumptions made, all contribute to producing anomalies in the data.

The ScotEID online data capture operates in realtime allowing for validation checks to be performed at the time of entry and for data checks to be carried out there and then, for example, an animal that is already recorded as dead on the system, is not available to the keeper to move. ScotEID captures the off and on move at the same time so reconciliation is not required. See vector moves. ScotEID is data capture is online or over the phone and not by paper methods.

No, where anomalies are identified that require a resolution, this work is carried out by ScotEID after the Switch Over and BCMS is notified of the update.

An application error is an error that arises from the birth registration of a calf, or from a passport amendment for example.

A movement error occurs when, for example, the CPH is not recognised by CTS for use by cattle. BCMS have a number of errors that relate to the capture of movements, including invalid dates, animal not present.

BCMS is working to reduce the numbers of application and movement errors related to Scottish keepers to a minimum prior to the Switch Over.

ScotEID becomes responsible for correcting errors after the Switch Over and managing the integrity of the data as a whole.

Yes, there will be cross-working between the ScotEID and BCMS teams, as there is currently, to ensure Scottish keepers have the support they need, for example, with the dates of cross border moves.

No, communications after the Switch Over will be from ScotEID only.

Passports are being issued by ScotEID. Please see here.

No. Late notifications and other auto-generated communications will come from ScotEID after the Switch Over.

No , after the Switch Over, all data requests for Scottish data must come to ScotEID.

ScotEID has been engaging industry groups and organisations in regard to the Switch Over and the introduction of Cattle EID for over two years. A timetable of proposed communications is being put in place and will be shared when available.

No. BCMS is working to prevent CTS Online being available to Scottish Keepers.

On arrival at BCMS, these are redirected to ScotEID. Any delay this may cause regarding notifications will be allowed for.

At ScotEID. Even if the query relates to data entered / submitted to BCMS, the keeper must contact ScotEID for assistance on 01466 794323.

To contact the author of this document:

Debbie Dow, ScotEID Systems Liaison,

debbie.dow@scoteid.com, 07741 311890.

©ScotEID Ltd. 2021 | All rights reserved.