Legal Requirements

Whilst keeping goats is going to be a tremendous adventure there are a few things, that are required by law, to put into place first.

 

•   The first thing you'll need to do is get a County Parish Holding number (known as a CPH) from Rural Payments Agency (RPA) - 03000 200 301
  Anyone wishing to have livestock must have one, even those that only want a couple of goats in their back garden.

 

•   You will also need to register with APHA for a herd number - https://www.gov.uk/guidance/contact-apha

 

•   You must report any movement on or off your 'land'. If the movement is permanent then you simply fill the form in once. But if it is to a temporary place then you will need to ensure this also has a CPH (unless it is part of your own CPH then no record needs to be made) then you'll fill one form in, your goats will have to remain on the temporary property for a minimum of 6 days before you can move them home again, whereupon you will need repeat the movement form 

        https://livestockinformation.org.uk

 

       The exception to this rule is if you are transporting your goat/s to the vets.

 

•   You are required to notify APHA if one or more of your animals has a notifiable disease such as Blutongue, Foot & Mouth etc... customeradvice@apha.gov.uk

 

• You must keep a record of FEC results, vaccinations and medications for all of your goats (these records must be kept for a further 3 years following the death of each individual - https://www.gov.uk/guidance/monitoring-prevention-and-control-of-disease-in-sheep-and-goats#sheep-and-goat-monitoring-and-record-keeping & https://ahdb.org.uk/knowledge-library/recording-medicine-use-in-livestock

 

•   Housing: Goats need a dry, draught-free building with sufficient headroom to stand upright. Their environment should be clean, comfortable, and well ventilated, and they need protection from the elements. It should be a minimum of 2 square feet per pygmy goat, more if your goats are larger.

 

• No food that has entered your kitchen, either fresh or scraps/waste should be fed to your goats. This is to prevent them from coming into contact with possible cross contaminated foodstuffs that could introduce foot & mouth or swine flu to your flock. If you intend buying fresh food for your goats you'll need to have a separate fridge that is accessible without entering the kitchen.

 

• When you get your goats you'll notice that they have 2 identification ear tags. They are required, by law, to always have 2 tags. If one is somehow lost then you must replace it. If the missing tag was ripped from the ear you are allowed to replace it with a pastern band (leg band) it is illegal to have only one tag and you must never remove the tags.

 

• As awful as it is to contemplate, you'll need to consider what you'll do when one of your goats dies. You will need to notify DEFRA no matter the cause of death and you will also need to keep any paperwork relating to that goat for 3 more years. It is illegal to bury them in your garden or on your land like you would any other pet. Even pet goats are considered livestock and will need to be cremated. It's up to you what route you choose, they can be collected by a knackerie but the more likely choice is to have them cremated through your vets. If you want there ashes back then you can ask for a single cremation as opposed to a group cremation, the latter being considerably cheaper. 
  
  
• An annual inventory of goats on your holding must be completed each year recording any deaths, births or newcomers.

 

 

 

Whilst not a legal requirement, you should find a farm/large animal vet BEFORE getting your goats as not all vets are experienced with goats and the last thing you want is to discover there are no goat vets in your area. 

When finding a breeder always ask to see proof that their herd are free of Johnes Disease, CAE and CLA. It's also advisable to find a breeder that surgically castrates their males rather than 'banding' at a young age and preventing the urethra from maturing.

Also, whilst not a legal requirement, it is inadvisable to get only 1 goat. Goats are herd animals and should be kept as such. Goats kept on their own do not thrive without companions of their own kind. Horses, sheep, cows or any other animals are not suitable substitute companions. You can, however, possibly keep a herd of goats alongside a flock of sheep, or with horses/donkeys providing they get on well and the correct precautions are taken to avoid the goats eating food not intended for them.

 

Important Contacts 

 

DEFRA (Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs) 0345 933 5577

 

RPA (Rural payments agency) - 03000 200 301

 

APHA (Animal and Plant Health Agency) 0300 1000 313 https://www.gov.uk/guidance/contact-apha 

 

LIS (Livestock information service) 03300416577

 

Trading Standards 0345 045 5206

 

 

 

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