Superior Quality Tag Sets
99.2% Customer Retention
Universal Applicator
Superior Quality Tag Sets
99.2% Customer Retention
Universal Applicator
Cormac Tagging is a 100% Irish owned family business, based in Tuam, Co. Galway.
The Kelly family has been involved in agribusiness since 1985 and in farming in the west of Ireland for generations.
TJ and Kitty Kelly worked with sheep on the family farm for many years, but after having five daughters they realised that sheep farming may not be enough
to put them all through college.
In 1985, TJ began manufacturing equipment to help reduce the workload for Irish sheep farmers including handling, feeding, and lambing equipment.
The Kelly family opened a retail store for the sheep farming equipment and many other agricultural products in 1993. Tuam Farm Supplies quickly became a
cornerstone in the Galway farming community, supplying local farmers with everything from feed to fertiliser, and veterinary medicines to general
agricultural hardware. Today, the store remains a strong going concern, although under different ownership.
When sheep tagging was introduced in 2001, the retail store began supplying sheep tags and in 2006, Cormac Tagging was born as a standalone tag
provider for sheep, pigs, and goats.
In the years that followed, Cormac Tagging became a leading Irish supplier of sheep, pig and goat tags thanks to its product quality and trusted,
personalised customer service. The cattle tag market remained in the sights of Cormac Tagging during these years.
By 2015, the cattle tag market was still dominated by a single Department of Agriculture-approved supplier in Ireland despite several attempts
over 14 years by Cormac Tagging to enter the beef and dairy tag market.
That’s when TJ’s daughter Ursula re-entered the fray to take over at the helm of the family business as Director of Operations, following a career
in accountancy. Together Ursula and TJ successfully applied to become a department-approved cattle tag supplier, finally realising their vision to
offer farmers in Ireland product choice in the market.
With entry into the cattle tag market in December 2016, the business expanded dramatically, growing by 1200% by 2022. With 99.2% customer retention
success during this period, Cormac Tagging continued to cement its position as Irish farmers’ trusted animal tag supplier.
The company’s expansion into the cattle tagging market was recognised by AIB as a benefit for both Ireland’s national dairy and beef herds, with
Ursula being named as a finalist in the Irish Strategic Growth Award in a female-led enterprise category at the National Women in Enterprise Awards
in 2018.
Cormac Tagging was announced as the winner of the All-Ireland All-Star Agri Business award in both 2019 and 2020, adding to a long list of noteworthy
achievements and awards for the company.
The accreditation and award from the All-Ireland Business Foundation was judged under titles of trust, commitment, performance, and
customer-centricity. These qualities are the foundation of the company’s success, innovation and genuine customer care vision.
As a passionate advocate for innovation on Irish farms, Ursula Kelly also sits on the Executive Council of Agtech Ireland, which showcases the benefits of technology adoption on farms and communicates how agtech has a key role in sustainability to all stakeholders moving forward.
A major milestone for Cormac Tagging was its partnership with German electronic tag manufacturing company Caisley International ahead of the
introduction of mandatory electronic tagging on Irish farms in 2021.
Together, the companies created a lightweight 4-gram electronic tag which does not place unnecessary weight on animals’ ears.
Customers have reported being very impressed with the large print on both male and female tags, as it makes the identification number very
readable from a distance.
As the name suggests, Caisley International operates worldwide, exporting to more than one hundred countries.
Cormac Tagging has joined forces with Irish agritech powerhouses Censortec and Alfco Farm Services in a strategic partnership to offer Irish
cattle farmers the complete solution in animal monitoring, drafting and identification.
This partnership revolutionises dairy and beef farm management by offering the complete eco-system solution for streamlined performance.
By partnering with Censortec, the global leader in heat detection and health monitoring and analysis systems (Nedap CowControl); and Alfco Farm
Services, Ireland’s largest supplier of drafting systems; Cormac Tagging is right at the cutting edge of farming innovation to make life easier
for farmers by reducing labour costs, saving time, and maximising animal health and performance.
The systems used by all three innovators are integrated on the farm to maximise efficiency.
The heat detection and health analysis technology speaks to the drafting gate system, while the gates themselves are automatically activated by
Cormac Tagging’s electronic animal identification tags.
Thanks to the solutions provided by the three interlinked technologies, farmers are assured of peace of mind and can remotely manage their
animals when in heat or if a health issue is detected via auto drafting.
The electronic tag is central to the entire function as it provides the technology to signal the drafting gates to open and close when the
monitoring sensor detects an issue.
The innovation partnership with Censortec and Alfco is the perfect fit for Cormac Tagging as all three companies share a passion for placing
the needs of Irish farmers first in everything they do, with all three renowned nationally for their high levels of personalised customer
service.
Censortec Ireland is the sole Irish distributor in Ireland for the world’s leading supplier of dairy cow monitoring systems.
The Kerry company delivers the Nedap CowControl animal monitoring and heat detections systems to dairy farms across the island
of Ireland to safeguard animal health, reduce farm labour, and improve overall performance.
This 24-7 monitoring provides precise and complete information about the fertility, health, well-being and nutritional status
of individual cows and groups, delivering instant alerts on any health issues direct to the farmer’s mobile phone, tablet or
desktop device.
Censortec Nedap CowControl employs the latest technology to monitor and track the heats of cows around the clock, including
heat indication signs such as sniffing, chin resting, mounting and standing heat. The system is ultra-accurate, with its
SmartTag neck collar transferring all data in real time. This data is transferred to the Alfco drafting gates system which
conveniently auto drafts all animals in heat when their electronic identification tags from Cormac Tagging are detected.
Censortec Nedap CowControl monitoring systems are invaluable in detecting animal health problems before their symptoms present by
providing all the information needed on eating activity, rumination patterns and inactive behaviour.
This means farmers can identify potentially sick cows, saving on time, veterinary bills and death losses, while minimising any milk
production losses.
The key benefit of Censortec’s Nedap CowControl is that farmers will never miss a cow in heat again (each missed heat can cost a minimum
of €250). The system is extremely accurate and indicates the optimum time for insemination, resulting in increased submission rates and
reduced calving intervals.
Alfco Farm Services was founded in 1978 in Trim, Co Meath, primarily to supply and install milking, feeding and slurry handling equipment.
The company has traded successfully for many years now and has also developed a retail outlet for farm supplies and general hardware.
In 1989, sister company Alfco Engineering was established and it has developed an impressive range of products including automatic scrapers,
drafting, mangers, and baling systems. Alfco Farm Services is also a major supplier of animal comfort products including E.V.A and rubber
matting for animal comfort.
The Alfco drafting gate system is the leader in the Irish market, providing substantial time and labour savings for farmers. The system
allows farmers to simply input a cow’s number into a keypad located at the front of the pit and as the cow exits the milking parlour, it
identifies the animal’s electronic tag from Cormac Tagging and separates it from the rest of the herd while causing no excitement or distress.
