UMBIREZ™ is a ready-to-use navel dip and ear tag site spray for calves, lambs and goats that cleanses, dries and seals the navel under a waterproof barrier.

This 3L starter pack is built for dairy and beef producers working through calving, and it does the same job for lambs and goat kids. UMBIREZ seals the navel as it goes on and dries it in as little as 2 hours, so a single application is enough when the dip cup covers the whole navel cord, according to the maker. The jug, spray bottle and navel dip cup arrive together, so the kit can be set up at the pen before calving or lambing gets busy.

What comes in the starter pack

• 2.5L jug: The bulk supply (0.66 gallon) for refilling the dip cup and spray bottle through the season.
• 500ml bottle with sprayer: A full 500ml (16.9 fl oz) bottle with a rotating nozzle and microfilter spray head, for ear tag sites or spraying navels.
• Navel dip cup: Fill it from the jug and submerge the whole navel. Dipping is the method the maker recommends over spraying.

One application. Sealed. Done.

NoBACZ, a University of Cambridge spin-out, describes UMBIREZ as the only purpose-built navel care product that combines rapid drying with a lasting physical barrier. A single application is sufficient when complete coverage of the navel cord is achieved with the dip cup. Here is what happens when it goes on:

• Cleanses: A high percentage of ethanol cleanses the navel on contact.
• Seals: A natural polymer with low levels of metal salts forms a waterproof barrier over the navel from the moment it is applied, which the maker describes as patented and non-colonizable.
• Dries: The maker reports it desiccates the navel in as little as 2 hours, faster than 10% iodine, alkaline electrolyzed water or chlorhexidine-based products.
• Stays on: It is waterproof, which the maker says lets it hold in wet and dirty conditions, and it contains a bitter agent to deter the cow or ewe from licking.
• Marks: A blue dye confirms each application at a glance, so you can tell which calves are done.

UMBIREZ vs 10% iodine navel dip

Swipe sideways to see the whole table.

Mortality: Lovatt et al., Veterinary Record, 2025, doi:10.1002/vetr.70169, a trial in lambs. Applications: as reported by the maker for Perkins Lodge, a UK beef suckler herd, presented at the AABP conference in 2026. Other rows are also manufacturer claims.

How to use it

Navels

1. Pour UMBIREZ into a clean navel dip cup.
2. Submerge the whole navel in the cup so it is completely covered.
3. If you cannot dip, spray liberally over the navel region until the whole navel is covered.

Dip when you can: in the 2025 lamb trial the maker cites, lambs with dipped navels had better survival than lambs with sprayed navels.

Ear tags

1. Spray UMBIREZ directly onto the ear tag site. The nozzle rotates so you can aim the spray.
2. Apply the tag as normal, inserting it in the middle of the sprayed area.

Alternatively, dip the tag in UMBIREZ, or spray it, before applying it.

Tips

• If water gets into the dip cup, some product can set as a film. Wipe the cup with a paper towel, then carry on.
• The maker recommends a non-return dip cup for complete coverage of the navel.
• Use the spray for ear tag sites and the cup for navels whenever you can.

Navel dip for calves

A newborn calf's navel is an open tube into the body until it dries and seals, so the first hours count. In a calf navel health article, NoBACZ veterinarian Dr David Charles MRCVS cites research finding that about 1 in 3 calves get a navel infection, that affected calves gain about 3.5 oz a day less and are more than twice as likely to die, and that calves whose navels are not disinfected after birth are 2.3 times as likely to get one. His advice: dip the navel right after birth, keep calving pens clean and dry, and get colostrum in fast.

The calf evidence for UMBIREZ so far is field data. Perkins Lodge, a UK beef suckler herd, swapped 10% iodine for UMBIREZ in the 2025 calving season with no other changes, and most calves needed a single application, an average of 1.06 against 2.1 with iodine, the maker reports. NoBACZ veterinarian Dr David Charles presented the case at the American Association of Bovine Practitioners (AABP) conference in 2026. The maker estimates that comes to about 23 hours of labor saved per calving season on a 500-cow herd, assuming 3 minutes per application.

"Its ability to dry rapidly and form a durable, secure bond is exceptional. Unlike traditional iodine-based dips, the barrier it creates is highly resistant to being licked off by the dam." Jon Higgins DVM, Acorn Farm Vets, New Jersey

UMBIREZ is a navel hygiene product, not a treatment. If a calf's navel is hot, swollen or painful, or the calf seems sick, call your veterinarian.

Navel dip for lambs and goat kids

Lambs come fast and often in multiples. The maker notes that almost half of lamb losses happen in the first 48 hours of life, and that tagging opens another site for bacteria, which is why UMBIREZ is made for ear tag sites as well as navels. Michigan shepherd Tori Weaver, lambing about 600 Polypay and Polypay-cross ewes, moved from iodine to UMBIREZ in 2025 and put it simply: "Lambing moves fast, and you need products that keep up."

Byrkley Boer Goats in Staffordshire, England, say goat kids tend to have longer navels than lambs and found iodine took a few days to dry them; with UMBIREZ, they report, "within a couple of hours, their navels are dried and shriveled." The maker describes it as safe for all species from day one and gives one set of directions, so goat keepers use the same dip-cup routine. There is no goat-specific study. Ask your veterinarian if you have questions about your own herd or flock.

The research

UMBIREZ was tested against 10% iodine in a peer-reviewed, open access field trial led by veterinarian Dr Fiona Lovatt (Lovatt, Powell, Bastos and McCrone), published in Veterinary Record in 2025 (doi:10.1002/vetr.70169). On UK sheep farms, the navels and ear tag sites of alternate lambs were treated with either UMBIREZ (the paper calls it a navel barrier solution) or 10% iodine. Across 6,840 lambs, mortality was 6.51% in the UMBIREZ group and 8.36% in the 10% iodine group, an adjusted odds ratio of 0.76. The maker sums this up as 21% lower mortality, or 18 more lambs surviving per 1,000 born. The trial also found that dipping navels gave better survival than spraying them.

The paper is open about its limits. Lambs were allocated by odd or even lamb number rather than fully randomized, which is why the paper calls it pseudorandomised.

NoBACZ calls it the largest navel protection trial yet run. The trial was in sheep; the maker's position is that drying plus a physical barrier works the same way on any newborn navel, and the calf field data above points the same way while a peer-reviewed cattle trial is completed.

Good to know

• Ready to use straight from the jug. No dilution.
• Antibiotic-free with no withdrawal period, and made from food-and-feed grade ingredients, per the maker.
• Keep it out of eyes, as it can irritate them. Take care when spraying near the face.
• Contains ethanol and is not for ingestion.
• The blue stain is easier to remove than iodine, according to the maker.
• Non-corrosive, per the maker, which also says people with iodine sensitivities or allergies prefer it.
• Also sold on its own: the 500ml UMBIREZ bottle with sprayer, handy as a second spray station or a top-up.
• For navel hygiene on newborns and for ear tag sites. It is not a treatment, so call your veterinarian about a sick animal.
• Agzaga sells UMBIREZ for use in the US only.
• Made by NoBACZ Healthcare in Cambridge, England, and sold in more than 20 countries.
• See the label for full use and storage directions.

Pairs well with

UMBIREZ Navel and Ear Tag Barrier Solution with Sprayer, 500ml Colostrx CR 2 Quart Calf Nursing Bottle with Handle Colostrx LK