iLivestock has added support for Northern Ireland’s updated livestock identification format across its mobile apps, helping farmers, keepers and advisors accurately record animals as Northern Ireland moves from legacy UK-prefixed tags to the new XI-prefixed format.
From 30 June 2025, all newborn cattle, sheep and goats in Northern Ireland must be identified using XI-prefixed livestock tags. Existing animals that were correctly identified with UK tags before this date do not generally need to be re-identified if they remain within the UK, but new animals must now follow the updated Northern Ireland format.
The change is particularly important for electronic identification. Northern Ireland’s updated EID numbering uses the 899 prefix, with the visual tag prefix shown as XI. iLivestock now recognises Northern Ireland EID tags and applies the correct visual ID generation rules where supported.
For sheep, scanning a Northern Ireland EID tag beginning with 899 can now generate the matching XI visual ID in the mobile app. Users can also enter a supported XI visual ID and have the corresponding EID generated. For cattle, iLivestock supports the new XI format while respecting the fact that cattle EID and visual ID numbers are not the same, preventing incorrect ID generation.
Example supported Northern Ireland tag format:
EID: 899 011222333444
VID: XI0 11222333444
This update applies across key mobile workflows, including adding animals, scanning tags, replacing lost tags, assigning new XI tags, working with unassigned tags, importing tags and using eTagReader imports. Group imports follow the same Northern Ireland tag handling as direct scanning, helping ensure consistent animal ID generation across the app.
By adding Northern Ireland XI/899 tag support, iLivestock helps users stay aligned with DAERA’s updated livestock identification requirements while preparing for the wider move towards bovine electronic identification in Northern Ireland.
Need help with Northern Ireland XI/899 tag support? Our team would be pleased to discuss how iLivestock can support you.
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