GovWire

You can use one of these templates to keep a holding register to record cattle, bison and buffalo:

• movements, including if an animal is lost or stolen - youll also need to report the loss or theft to the British Cattle Movement Service (BCMS)
• births
• deaths
• official ear tag numbers when you replace an ear tag

You do not have to use these templates, but its a legal requirement to keep a holding register that contains the same information. Find out what you must record in your holding register.

You need to keep a separate holding register for each of your holdings.

When you must update your holding register

You must update your holding register within:

• 36 hours of a movement on or off a holding
• 36 hours of replacing an ear tag, if the ear tag number has changed
• 7 days of the birth of a dairy animal
• 30 days of the birth of all other cattle
• 7 days of a death

You must update your holding register within 36 hours of tagging with a new official ear tag number for cattle:

• born or imported into Great Britain before 1 January 1998 if the official ear tag number has changed
• imported into Great Britain from outside the EU

How to use the templates

The templates have blank sheets for you to fill in. You need to be able to present the filled in spreadsheet or document for inspection when asked.

Both documents print best at A3 size, landscape (long sided). If you print it A4 size, you can print them over 2 pages - make sure you bind these and keep them together.

You might find it useful to have different documents for male and female cattle.

Youll need to use official cattle breeds and codes. Movements of the same animal on and off your holding must appear on the same line.

Using the spreadsheet

Download and save a copy of the spreadsheet to your computer. You can then either:

• fill it in and save it on your computer
• print it off and fill it in by hand, using ink

If you need extra rows, you can either:

• copy and paste blank rows to the bottom of the spreadsheet
• download and save another copy of the spreadsheet

Using the document

Download and print a copy of the document. You must then fill it in by hand using ink.

Print off as many copies of the document as you need. Keep them together in a safe place.

Contact the British Cattle Movement Service (BCMS)

Contact BCMS for help completing your holding register.