STOP THE CRUELTY OF EAR TAGGING GOATS!

Have you ever tried to tell a four month old goat kid who is screaming in pain that you are trying to help her when it was you who caused that pain in the first place?
I am talking about the goatkeeper's curse of the EAR TAG. Something, under EU and UK rules that I am legally bound to do regardless of the consequences.

Tagging is supposed to be a 'permanent' and 'non tamper proof' method of identifying all farm animals. However, this form of ID often results in ripped, infected, and damaged ears putting the animal concerned through extreme pain and stress not to mention the veterinary costs that follow.

Some ears are so badly torn from repeated attempts at tagging that there just isn't any flesh left to put a tag into.

There are lots of photos to show the severe damage that ear tags cause and it's about time ear tagging was stopped and a better, far more humane method was found. If we tagged our dogs we would be prosecuted but because a goat is a 'farm' animal (many are kept simply as pets) it's okay to inflict suffering upon them. This is a welfare issue and totally contravenes one of the five freedoms (freedom from pain) that are listed in the Animal Welfare Act.

Goats are not sheep. As highly intelligent animals they like to pull their neighbour's ear tags or chew them. Goats also get them caught in fencing, hay racks, bushes, even between their hooves when scratching an ear with dire consequences.

Pre tagging, goatkeepers used tattoing as a PERMANENT form of identification. Tattoing is a one off job and can't be tampered with or removed, unlike tags. Tattoing is acceptable.
Recently, there have been trials for pastern tags (straps that fit around the goat's hind leg). Pastern tags are acceptable.
Microchipping (done the same way as for equines) is acceptable.
These three methods would stop the amount of suffering that a lot of goats are going through.

My little Jem is on the road to recovery now but just how many more will go through this trauma time and time again?

Please sign the petition and lets end the use of ear tags on goats for once and for all!