Guidance

Register land you use to keep livestock

How to get a county parish holding (CPH) number for land or buildings you’ll use to keep livestock (including those kept as pets), what to do with it and how to update your details.

From:
Rural Payments Agency, Department for Environment, Food & Rural Affairs, British Cattle Movement Service, and Animal and Plant Health Agency
Published
19 October 2017
Last updated
15 June 2023 — See all updates

Applies to England

This page tells you how to get a county parish holding (CPH) number (sometimes known as a holding number) in England.

Find out how to get a CPH number:

The rules are different in Northern Ireland. Read the guidance for animal identification, registration and movements.

What you need a CPH number for

You must get a CPH number for land and buildings used to keep livestock for any purpose, including those kept as pets.

This is so that the government knows where the animals are kept and can trace them to help prevent and control disease.

Livestock includes:

  • cattle, bison and buffalo (bovine animals)
  • pigs
  • goats
  • sheep
  • deer
  • poultry (if you have 50 or more birds)

You do not need a CPH number if you keep fewer than 50 poultry. But you can choose to register with the Animal and Plant Health Agency (APHA) using the voluntary poultry registration form (IRA82).

By registering:

  • APHA will be able to contact you if there’s a disease outbreak (such as bird flu) in your area
  • you’ll help prevent the spread of disease and protect the national poultry flock

CPH numbers for other purposes

You do not need a CPH number if you’re only making a claim for rural payments.

There’s a different process to get a CPH number if, for example, you plan to:

Call the Rural Payments Agency (RPA) if you’re unsure what type of CPH number you need.

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

Before you start

You must be over 18 years old to apply.

Get the National Grid field numbers for your land or buildings

You must provide the National Grid field numbers for:

  • your main livestock gathering area - this is the main area where you’ll keep livestock
  • all land or buildings where you’ll keep livestock

RPA needs accurate National Grid field numbers to know exactly where animals will be kept.

A National Grid field number is not the same as an Ordnance Survey grid reference.

Use the multi-agency geographic information for the countryside (MAGIC) map to find the National Grid field numbers for your land or buildings. Follow these instructions:

  1. Select ‘Get Started’.
  2. Search for a county, place or postcode.
  3. Using the map, locate the land or building. Use the +/- icons to zoom in and out.
  4. Select the ‘Where am I’ function on the toolbar and then click on the land or building.
  5. A pop-up box will appear showing the land details for this location. The National Grid field number is made up of 2 letters and 8 numbers, for example, AB 1234 5678. It appears after the ‘Grid Ref’ (Ordnance Survey grid reference).

Other information you’ll need

You’ll need to say if you own or rent the land or buildings where you’ll keep the livestock.

If you rent it, you’ll need to confirm if:

  • you have a tenancy agreement to rent it for more than one year
  • the landowner already has a CPH number

You’ll also need:

  • your contact details
  • your business name (if you have one)
  • what livestock you’ll keep
  • what activities you’ll do
  • your single business identifier (SBI) number (if you’ve got one)

Apply for a CPH number

You should get a CPH number before you move livestock onto land or into buildings.

If you need it urgently, tell RPA when you apply.

If you’re already registered on the Rural Payments service

Call RPA to apply for a CPH number.

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

If you are not registered on the Rural Payments service

You can either:

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

What happens next

RPA will:

  • register you as a business on the Rural Payments service - RPA needs to do this even if you keep livestock as pets or for a hobby
  • give you a SBI number and a customer reference number (CRN)
  • send you an email with a validation link - you must click on this link within 12 hours to confirm your email address

If you do not confirm your email address within 12 hours, call RPA to get another email validation link.

You should get your CRN, SBI number and CPH number by email within 10 working days. It may take longer during busy periods, or if information is incomplete.

When you get your CPH number

Depending on your circumstances, you’ll either get a:

  • permanent CPH number
  • 7000 series (landless keeper) CPH number

If you have a 7000 series (landless keeper) CPH number

You must either get a:

This is because this type of CPH is for your home address (rather than where the animals are to be kept). A TLA or tCPH links the land where you’ll be keeping livestock with your 7000 CPH number.

What to do next

Before you move livestock to where you plan to keep them, you must register with the Animal and Plant Health Agency (APHA) to get a flock or herd mark.

You do not need a flock mark for poultry.

You must use the flock or herd mark to identify animals born on your holding. You can also choose to use it for sheep or goats born elsewhere which have lost their original tags.

If you’re going to keep cattle, bison or buffalo

You must also register as a cattle keeper with the British Cattle Movement Service (BCMS).

If you’re going to keep poultry

You must also complete the compulsory poultry registration form (IRA81) if you’re going to keep 50 or more birds.

Update your details

You must let RPA know if there are any changes to the details you gave when you applied for your CPH number.

You must do this as soon as possible (and within 30 days) by calling the Defra rural services helpline.

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

If you cannot use the telephone because you have accessibility needs, you can email RPA instead at ruralpayments@defra.gov.uk. Use ‘CPH number update’ as the subject in your email.

Changes include:

  • taking on new land or buildings permanently - you’ll either need to add them to your CPH or get a new CPH
  • giving up land or buildings
  • a change of address
  • if you want to close your CPH number
  • a change to the species of livestock you keep

You must also contact APHA if there are any changes to the details you gave when you registered with them. You can also contact them through the Defra rural services helpline, or you can email.

Animal and Plant Health Agency
Telephone (Defra rural services helpline): 03000 200 301
Monday to Friday, 8:30am to 5pm
Find out about call charges
Email: customer.registration@apha.gov.uk

Divide a business into smaller holdings

A livestock business is usually considered one holding with one CPH number.

If you wish to register a second holding nearby, or divide a holding into smaller holdings to separate your herds, contact APHA.

Animal and Plant Health Agency
Telephone (Defra rural services helpline): 03000 200 301
Monday to Friday, 8:30am to 5pm
Find out about call charges
Email: customer.registration@apha.gov.uk

Using extra land or buildings temporarily

If you plan to use extra land or buildings for less than one year and your livestock will not mix with someone else’s livestock, you must apply for either a:

You need to have an existing CPH number before you can get a TLA or tCPH number.

Livestock movement rules

Anytime livestock move off or on your holding, you must:

  • report the movement to the relevant organisation
  • record the movement in your holding register

You do not need to report poultry movements but you should keep a record of them.

Find out more about reporting and recording:

If your livestock will not mix with someone else’s livestock

You do not need to record and report movements onto land and buildings within 10 miles of your main livestock gathering area if you:

  • contact RPA to add the land or buildings to your CPH (if you’ll use them for more than a year)
  • get a TLA (if you’ll use them for less than a year)

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

You cannot add land and buildings to your CPH if they’re part of someone else’s CPH that’s used to keep livestock.

Published 19 October 2017
Last updated 15 June 2023 + show all updates

  1. Added a link to a page explaining the process for getting a flock or herd mark. Added a link to the Animal and Plant Health Agency's voluntary registration form for keepers who keep fewer than 50 poultry. Made it clear that you do not need a flock mark for poultry.

  2. Added 'You must be over 18 years old to apply for a CPH number' to make age minimum for applicants clearer and reduce calls to Defra rural services helpline.

  3. Made it clearer that this page only applies to England. Added that RPA will send you an email with a validation link when they register you on the Rural Payments service.

  4. Clarified why you need a county parish holding (CPH) number and what you should do when you get it. Added a link to a new form to apply for a county parish holding number if you’re not registered on the Rural Payments Service. Put information about getting a temporary land association (TLA) or temporary county parish holding number on its own page – see www.gov.uk/guidance/get-a-temporary-land-association-tla-or-temporary-county-parish-holding-tcph-number.

  5. We've added an email address alternative for people who are unable to telephone the helpline.

  6. Updated information relating to what CPH numbers are needed for, get a permanent CPH number, information you'll need, and update your permanent CPH details.

  7. Get a permanent CPH number section amended.

  8. First published.

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