iLivestock adds Northern Ireland XI/899 tag support to mobile apps

iLivestock has added support for Northern Ireland’s updated XI/899 livestock identification format across its mobile apps, helping farmers keep pace with changing tagging requirements while maintaining accurate animal records.

The update supports Northern Ireland’s move from legacy UK-prefixed livestock tags to the new XI-prefixed visual tag format, with 899 used as the electronic identification prefix for Northern Ireland livestock. From 30 June 2025, newborn cattle, sheep and goats in Northern Ireland must be identified using XI-prefixed tags, while animals already correctly identified with UK tags generally do not need to be re-identified if remaining within the UK.

For iLivestock users, the change is built directly into everyday mobile workflows. Farmers can scan, enter, replace and import supported Northern Ireland tags through the app, reducing manual entry and helping ensure tag information is recorded consistently.

For sheep, supported 899 EID scans can generate the correct XI visual ID. Cattle workflows also support the new XI format, while respecting the separate numbering rules between cattle EID and visual ID.

The update applies across key areas of the iLivestock mobile apps, including adding animals, scanning tags, replacing lost tags, assigning new XI tags, managing unassigned tags, importing tags and working with eTagReader group imports.

Example supported Northern Ireland tag format:

• EID: 899 011222333444
• VID: XI0 11222333444

By supporting XI/899 tags, iLivestock helps farmers in Northern Ireland maintain accurate livestock records, improve traceability and stay aligned with evolving identification requirements. It also reflects iLivestock’s ongoing focus on reducing manual processes and delivering practical, connected tools for beef and sheep enterprises.

More information

Whether you’d like to learn more about Northern Ireland XI / 899 tag support or need a hand with iLivestock, we’d love to help. Give us a call at +44 1383 324 358, or email us at [email protected].