An animal ear tag applicator (1) has a jaw (2) with a pivotal pin (7) which can hold the male part (50) of an animal ear tag and engage it with the female part (51) of the tag held in the lower jaw (3). The jaw (2) is biased by spring (16) to open independently of the handles (4, 5) once the latch (30) has been released. This will only occur after the male and female parts of the tag have been fully engaged. This independent release of the jaw (2) and the ability of the pin (7) to pivot forwardly avoids jamming of the ear tag in the applicator (1), especially when the animal attempts to pull away. The applicator can also be used with single piece tags.
