New sheep Autotagger® from Masham, North Yorkshire-based Ritchey
A leading manufacturer and supplier of products to the agricultural, equine and pet market has launched a new automatic tagger for sheep to trade customers.
The Ritchey Autotagger® takes 10 tags at once, which reduces tagging time considerably when compared with a standard applicator, explains Ritchey marketing manager, Pat Mangion. The Autotagger® applicator uses a staple gun action, which eliminates the need for a blade. This system is less stressful for livestock, and reduces the risk of operator injury. The product has been launched to trade customers, and will be on sale to farmers from 26 October 2009.
"The Autotagger® has performed exceptionally well in practical trials," says Mrs Mangion, who is based at Ritchey’s head office in Masham, North Yorkshire. "Feedback from farmers who have tried and tested the product has been very positive.
"There have been few developments or innovations in sheep tagging, since it became compulsory. The vast majority of the 25million plus ministry tags purchased each year are put in using a manual applicator. Historically, the development of a safe, reliable and effective method of automation has been a difficult goal to achieve.
"A great deal of resource has been put into the design and development of the Autotagger®, with particular emphasis on speed and ease of loading," she adds.
Although Ritchey has always been opposed to compulsory sheep EID, the company is committed to assisting farmers wherever possible. Therefore, in order to comply with new EID tagging regulations effective from 1st January 2010, a version of the Autotagger® that can handle electronic identification (EID) is under development.
"Compulsory EID will create more red tape, and increase the financial burden on sheep farmers, who are already struggling to cope after a sustained period of poor profitability. It was important for us to develop a system that is easy to use, as well as one that is priced as realistically as possible to the end user," says Mrs Mangion.
The Autotagger® launch event took place on Thursday August 6, 2009 at the Black Sheep Brewery in Masham. The venue was chosen in line with Ritchey’s policy of supporting UK agriculture, wherever possible. The Brewery uses around 2,250 tonnes of UK grain each year, producing a range of cask ales and bottled beers.
"Masham is a relatively small country town, but it contains a large number of medium-sized businesses, many of which have strong connections to agriculture," comments Mrs Mangion.
