Sheep & Goat Keepers in England
Holding Registration & Movement
Recording / Reporting
Changes - (2016-18)
m
10
iles
This leaflet explains changes being made in England to how you register land on
which you keep your animals.
These changes may reduce your movement recording and reporting burden.
If your business is directly affected we will send you a ‘CPH Changes in England’
letter by the end of Summer 2017. This letter details what the changes mean, your
options and any action you may need to take then.
You do not need to take any action before you receive that letter. If you have already
received your letter and made the changes you do not need to do anything further.
10 mile rule
A 10 mile maximum distance rule now applies to holdings for all livestock species. This replaces
the 5 mile rule that applied to holdings for sheep and goats. You may be able to register all the
land you use within 10 miles, whether on a temporary or permanent basis, under one CPH
number.
This change could significantly reduce recording and reporting burdens for some keepers as
movements within a single holding (CPH) don’t have to be recorded or reported and don’t trigger
a standstill.
Permanent CPHs (and ID tags)
If you use land on a permanent basis (for more than one year) that is within a 10 mile radius of
your holding which is currently covered by different CPHs you may choose to apply to register all
of that land under a single CPH.
If you intend to merge existing permanent CPHs into one you are advised to adjust your tag
orders accordingly as once CPHs are closed you can no longer use tags previously issued for
them to identify your animals.
Other than planning tag orders please wait until you receive your ‘CPH Changes in England’ letter
before taking any action.
Temporary land use
If you use additional land on a temporary basis (i.e. for one year or less you may apply to APHA
for a Temporary Land Association (TLA) or Temporary CPH (tCPH) – see below. Both last up to a
year (with an option to renew).
Note that you must have sole occupancy of that land for the duration i.e. whilst there your
livestock must not mix with livestock kept by someone else. Livestock would be considered to be
mixing if they were in the same field or building.
Temporary Land Association (TLA) or Temporary CPH (tCPH)?
It is important that you understand the difference between TLAs and tCPHs before applying for
either.
TLAs allow you to add land (within 10 miles) to your permanent CPH on a temporary basis. For
the duration of a TLA you will not have to report or record moves between that land and the rest
of your CPH, nor will those moves trigger a standstill. Moves to that land from other CPHs will
however trigger a standstill on the whole of your merged CPH.
TCPHs are treated as separate holdings. This means that moves between land with a TCPH and
any other CPHs you use must be recorded and reported and they will trigger a standstill. But it
also means that moves onto that land will not trigger a standstill on your other CPH(s), nor will
moves onto your other CPH(s) trigger a standstill on your tCPH.
It is expected that TLAs will be a better option than tCPHs for the majority of keepers who have
the choice. However, please note that for TLAs to be an option:
• the land must be within 10 miles of the centre point of your CPH
• also, if your CPH is registered for keeping bovine animals, the land must be in the same bovine
TB risk area as that of your CPH
‘Old’ temporary CPHs
All tCPHs allocated before August 2016 (i.e. in the format XX / XXX /6500 – 7999) are to be
closed. If you have one of these we will write to you, if we haven’t already, by the end of Summer
2017 to tell you when yours will be closed. At that point you may re-register that land with APHA,
if you still use it, as a TLA or tCPH, or with RPA if you now use it on a permanent basis.
Ending Sole Occupancy Authorities (SOAs)
All SOAs are to be withdrawn. If you have a SOA you will receive a letter telling you when it will be
withdrawn. At that point you may choose to apply to merge the holdings it covered into one CPH
if they are within a 10 mile radius. Livestock moves between land covered by a single CPH will not
trigger a standstill.
Removal of the batch reporting exemption in 2018
The batch reporting exemption (which permits moves of breeding sheep or goats between
different holdings within the same business, if the keepership does not change, to be reported at
a batch rather than an individual level) will be removed on 1st January 2018.
Once this exemption ends individual tag numbers must all be included on movement documents
and in movement records in your holding register.
Removal of the adjacent moves reporting exemption in 2018
The adjacent moves reporting exemption (which permits frequent sheep or goat movements to
contiguous land on a different holding to not be reported) will be removed on 1st January 2018.
Once this provision has been removed all livestock movements between different CPHs must be
reported and recorded whether or not the land is contiguous.
These two exemptions were introduced in 2010 after the introduction of individual recording and
reporting for sheep and goats. Defra said then that they were temporary until holding registration
changes were in place.
You may mitigate the affect of these exemptions ending by applying to merge or temporarily
associate land you use within 10 miles of your CPH.
If you keep cattle
If you keep cattle you should be aware that we are also ending the use of Cattle Tracing System
(CTS) ‘links’. New CTS links are no longer available and existing CTS links are all being closed.
Keepers with CTS links are being contacted before they are closed.
If your circumstances change
For disease control purposes it is vital that Defra has an up-to-date picture of livestock locations.
Whenever you start to keep livestock at any location for the first time, even on a temporary basis,
you are legally obliged to register that use, not to do so is an offence.
Likewise you must tell us when you cease to keep animals at a previously registered location.
Please use the Defra Rural Services helpline below to notify us of changes.
Further information
Defra Rural Services helpline – 03000 200 301
• Customer registration changes
• Land registration (RPA register land used on a permanent basis and APHA
register land used on a temporary basis – there are call options for both when
you dial this helpline number)
Defra helpline – 03459 33 55 77
• Advice on the identification and recording and reporting of livestock
• Requests for new copies of the paper sheep and goat holding register
www.gov.uk
• Search using ‘Farming’ - click on the Farming link which will activate topical links
including ‘Livestock movements and CPH numbers’ where you can access
guidance on the new rules and the form to register temporary land use.