Most of Ireland's 1.7 million pigs are about to get "slapped" in an effort to ensure that every pig in the State will have its own individual identity.
The Department of Agriculture and Food announced the first phase of the identification system, which will involve placing what is known as a "slap mark" on pigs destined for slaughter.
A tattoo is put on the pig's skin by a marker with small needles and remains indelible for the pig's lifetime.
The State's 200,000 sows will not be slapped; instead they will wear a tag similar to those placed in the ears of cattle and sheep.
The Department says the National Pig Identification Tracing System will identify each of the State's 1,100 pig herds, which will be recorded on a centrally managed database.
All movement of pigs will have to be reported to the Department.
The Minister for Agriculture, Mr Walsh, said that from this week all producers had been required, when trading, to use herd identifiers issued by the Department. From July 29th, consignors and consignees of pigs would be required to notify the central database of any movements.
Mr Walsh also announced that with the new identification system, his officials would be initiating a national Aujeszky's disease eradication programme.
This will see the blood-testing of a statistical sample of pigs and the granting of an Aujeszky's disease status to each herd.
While the disease has no implications for human health, it has the potential to damage Ireland's €280 million export trade. The objective of the disease eradication programme is to identify the extent and location of the disease and to eliminate it.