Livestock Information Transformation Programme (LITP)

The Livestock Information Transformation Programme (formerly the Livestock Information Programme) is a partnership between government and industry to design and implement a multispecies, digital traceability system in England, initially for sheep, cattle, pigs, goats and deer. 

The vision is to establish a modern, digitally enabled Livestock Information Service (LIS) which will enable better traceability and also facilitate the use of statutory data to benefit all livestock farmers and the wider industry.

Expected benefits

• Deliver quicker, more convenient ways to record livestock moves, births and deaths
• Enable faster and more targeted responses from government and industry to tackle exotic disease outbreaks, and speed up control of endemic diseases of concern to industry
• Working with industry to enable the development of innovative solutions for trade, productivity, and animal health and welfare
• Ensure a competitive advantage for international trade development

AHDB is involved in LITP as part of the Traceability Design User Group (TDUG) to ensure the industry’s current and future needs are factored into how the system is being designed. AHDB is concentrated on the wider benefits to industry that the system can unlock by providing access to traceability data, e.g. supporting international trade, controlling the spread of disease, underpinning the reputation of our livestock sectors, accelerating genetic improvement – issues aligned with the priorities identified by levy payers in our Shape the future industry consultation.

During 2022, LIS replaced Animal Reporting and Movement Service (ARAMS – the previous traceability system for sheep, goats and deer) and launched the new Livestock Unique Identification Service (LUIS) system for use by approved tag manufacturers and suppliers when ordering tag numbers for farmers.

In 2023, an enhanced facility to exchange sheep traceability data across England, Scotland and Wales was integrated with the new service. This will better enable Chief Livestock Officers to know the location and movements of livestock across borders.

Livestock Information also provided the facility for a registered farm vet to digitally record a vet attestation for sheep keepers, enabling an abattoir user to view that attestation before export to the EU. The traceability system for pigs (eAML2), run by AHDB, is already fully digitalised, so AHDB could readily incorporate a cost-effective solution to enable pig levy payers to meet vet attestation requirements.

The current focus of LITP is to undertake intensive design work in preparation for transitioning cattle services from the British Cattle Movement Service (BCMS), anticipated in autumn 2025. This includes preparations for the future introduction of bovine electronic identification (bEID), on a date to be decided.

The pig service (eAML2) will continue to be run by AHDB until such time as it transitions to the Livestock Information Service and after cattle transition has been completed.