Agriculture & Farming

Report livestock movements and comply with standstill rules

How to report cattle, sheep, goat, pig, and deer movements using government traceability systems. Includes reporting deadlines, standstill periods, and required documentation for disease control compliance.

UK-wide
Guide summary

Report cattle, sheep, goat, pig, and deer movements when they move on or off your holding. Use the correct system for each animal and meet the deadlines. This helps control disease outbreaks and is a legal requirement.

  • Report cattle movements within 3 days using BCMS
  • Report sheep/goat on-movements within 3 days via LIS
  • Pre-notify pig movements and confirm within 24 hours
  • Record all movements in your holding register within 36 hours
  • Keep movement documents for sheep/goats for 3 years
  • Standstill periods apply after most movements
  • Markets may report for you but you remain responsible
  • Failure to report can lead to penalties
  • New livestock tracking system (LIS) coming основной 2026
  • Ear tags required for newborn calves from 2027
On this page
UK-wide

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When you move livestock on or off your holding, you must report these movements to government traceability systems. This is a legal requirement that helps prevent and control disease outbreaks by tracking where animals have been.

Different species use different reporting systems and have different deadlines. Most movements also trigger 'standstill' periods during which you cannot move other animals off your holding.

Failure to report movements correctly can result in penalties, consequences under your farming scheme agreements, and restrictions on your holding during disease outbreaks.

Why movement reporting matters

Livestock movement reporting serves several critical purposes:

  • Disease control: Enables rapid tracing of animals during outbreaks of diseases like foot and mouth, avian flu, and tuberculosis
  • Food safety: Creates a farm-to-fork audit trail for meat and dairy products
  • Trade requirements: Demonstrates traceability for UK and international customers
  • Compensation claims: Provides evidence for claims if your animals are affected by disease controls
  • Regulatory compliance: A condition of farm assurance scheme membership and of agri-environment scheme agreements

The keeper moving animals off a holding is legally responsible for reporting, even if markets, hauliers, or buyers report on your behalf.

Cattle movement reporting

All cattle movements must be reported through the British Cattle Movement Service (BCMS) in England and Wales. Cattle have individual passports, and every movement must be recorded within strict deadlines.

How to report cattle movements

Choose the method that works best for your farm operation:

Markets and slaughterhouses typically report movements automatically through their systems, but you remain legally responsible. Always check your holding register to confirm movements have been recorded correctly.

Sheep and goat movement reporting

Sheep and goat movements are reported through the Livestock Information Service (LIS). You must report off-movements within 3 days of animals leaving and on-movements within 3 days of animals arriving. Both keepers (sender and receiver) must report their own movements.

How to report sheep and goat movements

Movement documents for sheep and goats

Most sheep and goat movements require physical movement documents to accompany animals during transport. However, there's an important exception if you report online:

Even if you report online and don't need paper documents, you must still maintain your on-farm holding register and record all movements within 36 hours.

Pig movement reporting

Pig movements use a staged system: pre-notification before animals move, confirmation by the sending keeper within 24 hours of departure, and confirmation by the receiving keeper within 3 days of arrival. All reporting is through the eAML2 (electronic Animal Movement Licensing) system.

Pre-notification requirements

Before pigs can leave your holding, you must register the intended movement on eAML2. This creates a movement licence that authorises the transport:

Confirming the movement

Once pigs have departed, you must confirm the movement has taken place:

Pig movement documents

The eAML2 system generates a movement document when you pre-notify a movement. The haulier must carry this document with the pigs during transport.

Deer movement reporting

Deer movements are reported through the Livestock Information Service (LIS), the same system used for sheep and goats. Deer have one important difference: they are exempt from standstill rules.

You must also comply with the conditions of the deer movement general licence, which covers welfare requirements during transport and may impose seasonal restrictions during the deer breeding season.

Standstill periods explained

When livestock arrive on your holding, a 'standstill' begins. During standstill, you cannot move other susceptible animals off the holding (with some exemptions). This prevents rapid disease spread between multiple holdings.

Standstill applies to the entire holding, not just the animals that moved. If sheep arrive, you cannot move cattle either during the standstill period.

When standstill does NOT apply

Several important exemptions allow animal movements during what would otherwise be a standstill period:

If you regularly use standstill exemptions (such as approved isolation facilities), maintain detailed records to demonstrate compliance if questioned by inspectors.

Record keeping requirements

In addition to reporting movements online, you must maintain a physical or electronic holding register on your farm. This register must record:

  • All movements on and off the holding within 36 hours
  • Births, deaths, and animals used for home consumption
  • Individual animal identification numbers (cattle passports, sheep/goat EID tags)
  • Dates of movements and CPH numbers of origin/destination
  • The number of animals moved (or individual IDs for cattle)

You must keep cattle holding registers for 10 years, and sheep, goat and pig registers for at least 3 years. They can be inspected by Animal and Plant Health Agency (APHA) officers, local authority trading standards, or during assurance scheme audits.

Quick reference: reporting deadlines

Miss a deadline and you risk penalties, problems under your farming scheme agreements, and restrictions during disease outbreaks. Here's a summary of all reporting deadlines:

Remember: these are the deadlines for reporting to government systems. Your on-farm holding register must be updated within 36 hours for all species.

Contact details and support

If you need help reporting movements or have questions about your legal obligations, contact the relevant traceability service for your species and location:

For urgent disease control issues or suspected notifiable disease outbreaks in England, contact the Animal and Plant Health Agency (APHA) immediately on 03000 200 301 (in Wales, call 0300 303 8268).

What happens if you don't report correctly

Failing to report movements or comply with standstill rules can result in:

  • Scheme agreement consequences: Breaches can lead to recovery or termination of payments under SFI, Countryside Stewardship and other agri-environment agreements (cross-compliance ended on 31 December 2023)
  • Trading Standards prosecution: Fines for breaching traceability regulations
  • Movement restrictions: Your holding may be placed under restriction, preventing all movements
  • Assurance scheme non-compliance: Suspension from Red Tractor, Quality Meat Scotland, or other schemes
  • Disease outbreak complications: Inability to demonstrate your animals are disease-free, leading to prolonged restrictions
  • Compensation issues: Claims may be rejected if records are incomplete

If you've missed a reporting deadline, report the movement as soon as possible and contact the relevant service to explain. Late reporting is better than no reporting.