Mobiles to track sheep and cows

The unit can scan 2000 tags at a time

Farmers will be able to keep up to date records of livestock movements by using a device developed in north Wales which links to mobile phones.

The scanner reads the ear tags on cattle and sheep and sends the information over the mobile.

The scanner will send data directly to the Livestock Registration and Movement Centre in Bangor (LRMC).

Gwynedd farmer John Griffith said it would save him time on paper work.

The device would be especially useful for farmers who do not have access to a computer, said developer David Hughes.

Adapted for mobile phone

"We've taken technology which was there already, which is the scanner which had to be read by a computer, and adapted it for use with a mobile phone," said David Hughes, managing director of LRMC.

"Only 25% of farmers have a computer, but nearly all farmers have a mobile phone, to ring home or whatever.

"This system is simple, they press one button for the scanner to read a tag, then the other one to send the information along a phone line when the scanner is placed back on it's base unit," Mr Hughes added.

Farmer John Griffith thinks the system could save time

The Livestock Registration & Movement Centre in Parc Menai near Bangor is a call centre set up for farmers who do not have access to a computer to ring in with livestock details - LRMC then input the information into their computer system and pass the details on to Defra.

With the new system the centre will still check the information when it comes in from the EasyTrakka system, before it is passed on.

"We've taken a system which is essentially easy and made it even slicker," said Mr Hughes.

Farmer John Griffiths from Llangian on the Llyn Peninsula said the system could potentially save him a lot of time especially when sheep, as well as cattle, movements will need to be recorded.

"I have a computer, but it seem this system will save even more time as at present I have to read each animals tag individually and then put the information in," he added.

The unit will become available for farmers to use over the coming months.