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Guidance

Sheep and goats movement general licence

Sheep and goat owners and keepers must follow the conditions of this licence when they move sheep or goats.

Updates to this page

From:
Department for Environment, Food & Rural Affairs and Rural Payments Agency
Published:
13 July 2009
Last updated:
22 April 2026
Show all updates

  1. 'General licence for the movement of sheep and goats Part I' updated. Mentions of 'SouthWestern' and the 'ARAMS' movement reporting service replaced with current details: The Livestock Information Service (LIS) and LIS movement reporting service, with LIS address and useful links.

  2. Added a link to an accessible version of Annex A to C.

  3. Made it clear that a general licence can only be used for movements directly between common land, and premises that have the right to use that common land. Separated the declarations for the recipients of breeding rams and breeding goats. Declarations to claim exemptions from standstill now have to be sent to SouthWestern. You no longer have to send a declaration to to claim an exemption from standstill when sheep or goats return from an artificial insemination centre.

  4. Updated documents published

  5. First published.

Documents

General licence for the movement of sheep and goats Part I

HTML

General licence for the movement of sheep and goats Part II to Part IV

PDF, 120 KB, 4 pages

General licence for the movement of cattle, sheep, goats and pigs: annex A to C

https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/general-licence-for-the-movement-of-cattle-sheep-goats-and-pigs-annex-a-to-c/general-licence-for-the-movement-of-cattle-sheep-goats-and-pigs-annex-a-to-c

Details

The licence tells you the rules about:

  • cleaning and disinfection
  • movements not permitted under this licence
  • standstill
  • animal identification
  • pick-ups, drop-offs and stops
  • reporting movements

Check how to report sheep or goat movements.

Annex A to C tells you the rules about:

  • standstill
  • pick-ups, drop-offs and stops

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