NORTHERN IRELAND'S sheep and goat keepers have once again been asked to take part in the Department of Agriculture, Environment and Rural Affairs annual inventory exercise.

Keepers have been sent inventory cards, and reminded that they must complete them with an accurate account of the sheep and goats on their holding between December 1 and 5 this year, and return them to DAERA by January 5, 2020, in the pre-paid envelope provided, or enter the details online at: www.daera-ni.gov.uk/onlineservices

All currently registered flock and herd keepers must make a return, even if they have no sheep or goats on their holding between December 1 and 5.

DAERA stressed that failure to return an inventory card or enter the details online is an offence and will increase the chances of a flock being selected for a Sheep Identification Inspection.

Details of the Annual Inventory must be recorded in the Flock / Herd Register. The information will be used for on-farm checks such as Cross Compliance Inspections and failure to record this information correctly in the Register may result in a financial penalty being applied to the flock / herd keeper’s direct agricultural support payment.

It is important to note that where a keeper keeps both sheep and goats, a separate inventory card is returned for each species.