These Regulations amend the Sheep and Goats Identification (Scotland) Regulations 2000 (“the principal Regulations”).

They amend the marking requirements in the principal Regulations in relation to sheep and goats born on holdings in Scotland, sheep and goats moved from holdings in Scotland, sheep and goats imported to holdings in Scotland and subsequently moved, and where tags applied in accordance with such markings are replaced, to require that an individual number is inserted into the mark so applied. They add a new S-mark for unmarked movement from holdings in Scotland (regulation 2(7)), however such a mark is not to be applied where a mark has been applied for the purposes of foot-and-mouth disease tagging.

They amend the records requirements in relation to sheep and goats to provide that the details including the individual numbers may be recorded by keepers of sheep or goats, and must be recorded in certain circumstances (regulation 2(3) and (4)).

The regulations permitting temporary marks, and documentation requirements, are amended accordingly.

The notification of movements of sheep and goats to the Scottish Ministers is required by the occupier of the holding of destination and the operator of an abattoir under certain circumstances within 3 days of the arrival of those sheep and goats (regulation 2(5)).

The Regulations remove the exemption from the documentation requirements in regulation 13 of the principal Regulations for movements between holdings occupied by the same persons where those holdings are not contiguous, and adds tattooing to those exemptions (regulation 2(10)).

They restrict the circumstances where a sheep or goat mark may be replaced (regulation 2(11)).

These Regulations may be read with the Sheep and Goats Movement (Interim Measures) (Scotland) Order 2002, and tagging as required by that Order is permitted (regulation 2(12)).

The provisions of these Regulations are in accordance with Council Directive 92/102/EEC.

A Regulatory Impact Assessment has not been prepared for these Regulations.