Tattoo International Letter ID
Published on: 5/15/2025Key Takeaways
- Tattooing provides a permanent, reliable form of animal identification that supports efficient herd recordkeeping.
- Choosing a clear, consistent ID system is essential, especially when accounting for breed association requirements or herd size.
- Many producers use the International Letter Code System, which assigns a specific letter to each birth year for easy age identification.
- Tattoo formats can vary, such as incorporating birth order to birthdate, as long as the system remains simple and consistent.
- A well-planned tattoo ID system improves organization, traceability and long-term herd management efficiency.
Before tattooing, you should determine the ID configuration you’d like to use in your herd. There are many ways to organize your herd ID. If you are a member of a breed association or other organization, you should consider any rules and requirements that they may have. Many producers use tattoo ID solely for their recordkeeping, as it allows a permanent method of identification. Some producers incorporate the International Letter Code System into their tattoo ID program. In this system, each year corresponds to a specific letter. The letter Y represents 2011, Z represents 2012 and A represents 2013. In this system, a calf born in 2012 would have the letter Z incorporated into its tattoo. The International Letter Code System has become popular worldwide.
In one example, a calf born Feb 18, 2012 may have the tattoo 218Z. In another example, a calf may be tattooed with Z005, because it was the 5th calf born in the year 2012. The main thing is to choose a system that fits your needs, is easy to incorporate, and makes recordkeeping more efficient.
International Letter Code:
-
- A - 2013
- B - 2014
- C - 2015
- D - 2016
- E - 2017
- F - 2018
- G - 2019
- H - 2020
- J - 2021
- K - 2022
- L - 2023
- M - 2024
- N - 2025
- P - 2026
- R - 2027
- S - 2028
- T - 2029
- U - 2030
- W - 2031
- X - 2032
- Y - 2033
- Z - 2034
The international system does not use letters I, O, V or Q.
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