To protect the health of your livestock and to make it easier to trace your animals, you must keep a register of the animals on your holding. To simplify the process, we have put together a crib sheet that covers every section of the holding register and includes reporting and recording timescales.
A keeper of sheep and goats must maintain a register of animals for each of their holdings, to record:
- New or replacement identifiers applied to sheep or goats
- Movements of sheep or goats ON and OFF their holding
- Deaths of sheep or goats (record the date and the individual identification number, if known, of the animal that died)
- An inventory of sheep and goats on their holding on 1st December each year
The holding register can be kept:
- On paper
- Electronically on the Animal Reporting and Movement Service (ARAMS) website
- Electronically using any other software
The keeper must keep the holding register for three years after the last animal in it has left the holding and make it available to an inspector on demand.
How to record new and replacement tags
For new identifiers, record the:
- Date the identifiers were applied
- Year of birth of the identified animal (if it was born on the holding)
- Breed and genotype of the identified animal if known
- Flock or herd mark for slaughter lambs or kids
- Individual identification number (for adult animals identified since 2010 and lambs or kids kept back for breeding or that will enter the flock)
For replacement identifiers, record the:
- Date you applied the identifier(s)
- Details of the previous or surviving identifier(s) if known
- Flock or herd mark
- Individual identification number (for adult animals identified since 2010 and lambs or kids kept back for breeding or that will enter the flock)
When a keeper applies tags with new identity numbers (rather than replicas) they must cross-reference the old and new numbers in the replacement section of their holding register, so it’s clear they belong to the same animal.
How to record moves
The keeper must record any movement of sheep or goats ON or OFF their holding in their holding register within 36 hours of the animal leaving or arriving, unless the movement is to or from:
- A holding within 10 miles of their main holding that shares the same CPH number
- Common land that borders their holding, if their holding is linked to the common on Defra’s Animal Movement Licensing System
The requirement for the keeper to record moves in their holding register applies to moves to any holding that has a different CPH number, even if the holding is within 5 miles.
What to record
For movements of animals tagged before 2010, the keeper needs to record the total number of animals moved.
The keeper only needs to record the total number of animals moved, for the movements of adult animals tagged since 2010 with 2 identifiers to either:
- A holding where they are still the keeper (this applies to movements between two holdings the keeper owns or rents, but which have different CPHs)
- A Central Point Recording Centre (market or abattoir)
The keeper must record the individual identity of each animal for movements of adult animals tagged since 2010 with two identifiers to any other location.
They only need to record the total number of animals moved, and the number from each flock or herd mark, for movements of lambs or kids intended for slaughter (identified with a single slaughter tag).
Recording a move to a Central Point Recording Centre (CPRC)
Central Point Recording Centres (CPRCs) are destinations that will scan EIDs of sheep when they arrive and provide the keeper with a list of the sheep’s identification numbers for their records.
If the keeper is sending sheep to a CPRC they need to record the total number of animal’s they’re moving in their holding register within 36 hours of dispatching the animals.
The CPRC will provide the keeper with the individual identity numbers of the sheep after they arrive. The keeper must add these individual identity numbers to their register within 48 hours of dispatching the animals. They can do this by either adding the individual identity numbers to the holding register or by cross-referencing the holding register to the market continuation sheet provided by the market.
Record and submit the annual inventory
The keeper must record the number of sheep and goats on their holding(s) on the 1st of December every year.
They must provide the annual inventory to Defra.
The timescales for recording movements and replacements in your holding register are as follows:
- 36 hours for recording movements ON or OFF the holding
- 48 hours for updating the holding register with animals’ individual identification number if using a CPRC
- 36 hours for updating the holding register after replacing a tag
- 72 hours or three days to inform ARAMS of an ON movement
Sample sheep and goat holding registers are available at https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/sheep-and-goat-holding-register
