GovWire

Guidance: Moving sheep and goats: what keepers need to know

Animal Plant Health Agency

December 4
10:00 2023

You must report and record all movements of sheep and goats on or off your holding.

What a holding is

Your holding is the land or buildings you use to keep the animals, for example:

  • a farm
  • market
  • home or a garden where you might keep a pet animal

The Rural Payments Agency (RPA) gives each holding a unique county parish holding (CPH) number. A livestock business may have more than one holding and CPH number.

A single livestock holding can cover the land and buildings within 10 miles of the main area you keep sheep or goats.

Youll need to give details of each location where youll keep sheep or goats (and any other livestock) when you apply for a CPH number.

Following these rules means that animals can be traced at all times to help prevent and contain disease.

Its your responsibility to follow the rules to avoid penalties such as a fine or prosecution.

What a movement is

A movement happens any time animals are moved on or moved off your holding. It can include moving them:

  • to and from a different holding, for example a farm
  • to your holding when you buy or import animals from another country in the UK or from abroad
  • from your holding when you sell or export animals abroad, including through an assembly centre
  • to a slaughterhouse
  • to and from a showground, market or collection centre

You do not have to report a movement if its to or from:

  • a vet, for emergency treatment
  • land with the same county parish holding (CPH) number
  • common land bordering your holding that you can use for grazing, if its registered with RPA as linked to your holding
  • land bordering your holding with a different CPH number, which the animals move between frequently, on foot and without contact with other livestock - youll need a standing entry in your holding register so that the arrangement is clear to a field officer on a site visit

Example

If there is a gate open to a neighbouring field with a different CPH number, which the owner lets you use to graze your animals on a daily basis - you only need to update your holding register with a record of the arrangement.

Who needs to report movements

Anyone who is responsible for keeping sheep and goats must report movements on and off their holding.

This can include:

  • farmers, including people who own sheep or goats as pets or for breeding purposes
  • market or showground operators
  • collection or assembly centre operators
  • someone who is paid to keep sheep or goats on their land
  • lairages (where it has a CPH number different from the animals location - for example a slaughterhouses nearby field lairage)
  • slaughterhouse operators

You do not have to report movements if youre a:

  • vet
  • haulier or transporter

If youre a haulier or transporter, you must keep your own records to comply with animal transport welfare law. You can keep a copy of the LIS-1 movement document that comes with the animals - youll need to pass on any remaining copies to the destination keeper.

Before you move sheep and goats

There are steps you must follow before you move sheep or goats on to or off your holding.

Register as a keeper

If this is the first time youll keep sheep or goats, even as pets, you must:

  1. Apply for a CPH number from RPA.
  2. Get a flock or herd mark from the Animal and Plant Health Agency (APHA) to use on ear tags or other tags (such as pastern bands) used to identify sheep and goats.

Keep a holding register

Youll need to keep a holding register to record the animals:

  • official identification numbers
  • movements
  • deaths

You must update your holding register within 36 hours each time you move animals on to or off your holding.

Read the general licence for moving sheep and goats

You should be aware of the general licence for moving sheep and goats in England. You need to comply with the conditions in the licence to have the right to move your animals.

What you need to report

You need to report the:

  • address the animals are sent to or from
  • details of the haulier moving the animals (which they might complete on the LIS-1 movement document)
  • total number of animals moved

You also need to include the animals official identification numbers unless:

  • youre moving sheep to a destination that has been approved to scan and record animals with electronic identification (EID) tags and give these back to you - these are known as central point recording centres (CPRCs) and include most markets
  • youre moving animals to a holding within your business where youre still the keeper in day-to-day care and control of them - for example, if youre moving animals between holdings you own or rent, that have different CPH numbers
  • the animals are tagged with a slaughter tag

When you move sheep and goats

You need to:

You also need to record the movement in your holding register.

When you do not have to report and record sheep and goat movements

You do not have to report and record sheep and goat movements within 10 miles of the main area you keep them if:

  • the land or buildings are registered to your CPH number you can contact RPA to add them if youll use them permanently (for more than a year)
  • the sheep or goats will not mix with someone elses livestock

Rural Payments Agency
Telephone (Defra rural services helpline): 03000 200 301
Monday to Friday, 8:30am to 5pm
Find out about call charges

If youre using extra land or buildings temporarily within 10 miles of the main area you keep sheep or goats, you can get a temporary land association (TLA). This links the land or buildings with your CPH number, meaning you do not have to report and record movements.

You can only do this if:

  • youll use the land or buildings for less than a year
  • the sheep or goats will not mix with someone elses livestock

When to follow the standstill rule

The standstill rule helps reduce the spread of infectious diseases. It applies to the movement of cattle, sheep, goats and pigs.

If you move cattle, sheep, or goats on to your land from a different holding, for 6 days after you must not move off your holding any:

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