PREGCHECK™ Scheme
About the PREGCHECK™ Accreditation Scheme
Producers often gain a premium price for pregnant cows and heifers. The PREGCHECK™ is a nationally recognised system of coloured tail tags showing pregnancy status of cattle and is explained in detail in the ACV publication Pregnancy Diagnosis in Cattle (revised in 2014).
It is a nationally recognised quality tail tagging system for the identification and certification of cattle pregnancy status, particularly for sale purposes.
The PREGCHECK™ scheme seeks to promote excellence in cattle pregnancy testing skills, by way of peer-based assessment and the provision of educational material.
How to get your copy of Pregnancy Diagnosis in Cattle 2014 edition:
- Members can download their free digital copy from the PREGCHECK™ Members Page.
- Members can order a hard copy by downloading the ACV Merchandise order form available from the ACV Member Resources page.
Development of the scheme
The scheme was originally launched with a view to providing a system of certification for cattle pregnancy diagnosis by ACV members. Individual members could apply to become registered and they could then purchase plastic wrap-around tags.
Australian Cattle Veterinarians have registered the PREGCHECK™ scheme and the tail tags with the Australian Competition and Consumer Commission (ACCC). Ratchet and wrap tags bear the registered certification mark which is an Australian Cattle Veterinarians logo with stripes either side.
The three most common tags are red indicating over four months pregnant (O4), blue indicating under four months (U4), and green indicating not detectably pregnant (NDP). Each tag bears a serial number and a veterinarian identification code.
Upon applying tail tags under this system, a certificate should be issued by the testing veterinarian providing details of the owner of the cattle, the name of the veterinarian, the registration number, the date of testing, the total numbers tested, and a list of the individual tail tag serial numbers applied and the pregnancy diagnosis categories of the cattle tested.
PREGCHECK™ is an accountable and quality scheme with the power to deal with unsatisfactory levels of performance.
PREGCHECK™ Resources
PREGCHECK™ Fact Sheet
PREGCHECK™ Dairy Case Study
PREGCHECK™ Beef Case Study
