Sheep and goat movements: rules for markets, showgrounds, collection and assembly centres
What you need to do when sheep and goats pass through your premises, including updating your holding register and reporting movements.
Applies to England
Every time sheep or goats move on or off your market, showground or collection centre (your holding) you must:
- record the movement in your holding register within 36 hours
- report the movement to the Livestock Information Service (LIS) within 3 days
Following these rules means that animals can be traced at all times to help prevent and contain disease.
It’s your responsibility to follow the rules to avoid penalties such as a fine or prosecution.
You must report sheep and goat movements separately.
There’s different guidance for:
- reporting movements as a farmer or other keeper, for example if you own sheep or or goats as pets
- what slaughterhouse operators need to do when animals arrive
You must also apply for an animal gathering licence from the Animal and Plant Health Agency (APHA).
Record the movements in your holding register
Anyone who keeps sheep or goats, even temporarily, must keep a holding register. You must record the movements on and off your holding in your holding register within 36 hours.
Read how to keep a holding register and what you need to record.
If your holding is an approved central point recording centre (CPRC)
Central point recording centres are premises, usually markets, that scan animals’ electronic identification (EID) tags when they arrive.
If your premises is an approved CPRC, you can:
- scan the individual official identification numbers from the EID tags
- give these to the sending keeper to update their holding register
Read the guidance on how your market can become a CPRC.
Report the movements
Within 3 days you must report the on movement to your premises from the previous keeper.
You’ll need to include:
- all animals’ official identification numbers
- total number of animals moved
- the county parish holding (CPH) numbers
You must keep any paper copies of LIS-1 movement documents from keepers for 3 years.
Report as a market, collection or assembly centre
You must report movements on and off your premises online. This can be either:
- online using LIS - you’ll need to create an account
- through your management software if it’s linked to LIS - check with your provider
Report as a showground
You can report on and off movements by either:
- completing and downloading the editable PDF version of the LIS-1 movement document
- using the quadruplicate paper version - you can get these from most markets and some local councils and fill in by hand
A farmer taking animals away from a show will usually complete the LIS-1 movement document and give you a copy. They’ll report that move to LIS when they get to their destination.
For on moves to the showground, send a copy of the completed LIS-1 movement documents given to you by the keepers.
Livestock Information Service
c/o Defra
Curwen Road
Workington
CA14 2DD
Email: support@livestockinformation.org.uk
You can also choose to report moves on to your showground online if you have a LIS account or you use farm software that’s linked to LIS - check with your provider.
Send movement documents with the animals
Whether you report movements online or by paper, you must send copies of the LIS-1 movement document with the animals.
You’ll need up to 4 copies of the document - keep one for yourself and give the others to the haulier or whoever is transporting the animals. They’ll keep one and pass the others on to the receiving keeper.
Markets, collection or assembly centres
Print out a completed LIS-1 movement document when you’ve reported the movement online.
Showgrounds
You can do one of the following:
- fill in the paper version by hand - this comes as a ‘quadruplicate’ (4 identical pages)
- fill in the editable PDF on LIS, then print it
- print the PDF and fill it in by hand
If you need help or advice
Contact LIS for help reporting movements.
Livestock Information Service
Email: support@livestockinformation.org.uk
Telephone: 03300 416 577
Monday to Friday, 8.30am to 5pm
Find about call charges
Last updated 4 September 2023 + show all updates
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Contact details in this guidance have changed from LUIS Section, Rural Payments Agency to Livestock Information Service.
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First published.