'˜Send your BVD tags by registered post'

The man posted the tags off in one envelope over two weeks ago and after waiting unsucessfully for a text message, he made phone calls to find out if his tags had arrived safely for testing.

Unfortunately it appears the envelope has been lost in the Royal Mail system.

The farmer explained: “The lady I contacted at AFBI couldn’t have been more helpful, but unfortunately the six tags have been lost in the post.

“I now have the hassle of re-ordering the tags and getting the calves all gathered up again to be retagged. It’s not the cost that’s annoying, as they are only £4 each, but its the hassle involved.

“I think it would be a good idea if there were three or four central collection points around Northern Ireland for farmers to drop their tags off and then they could be lifted by van and taken for testing. I would definitely advise farmers to send them by registered post, just so they don’t have the hassle if they go missing.”