Sheep and goat annual inventory form: frequently asked questions

To bring the annual inventory in line with all other UK nations, the date of all future annual inventories in Wales will be 1 December. The next date you will be asked to record your sheep and/or goat numbers will be 1 December 2024. 

Yes, you can complete your annual inventory online by logging into your EIDCymru account on www.eidcymru.org. If you require any assistance please contact EIDCymru on 01970 636959.

Keepers who do not have an account, are encouraged to register for one over the summer. Staff at the EIDCymru bureau are happy to help you register for an online account and answer any queries you may have. They are available by telephone 01970 636959 or by email at contact@eidcymru.org. 

Yes. You can use your EIDCymru online account to:

• report and accept sheep moves online, without the need to post the paper movement licence
• verify your on-farm records against the online records held by EIDCymru

From now on, the usual hard-copy annual inventory will no longer be issued. 

In future the way to submit your inventory will be via your EIDCymru online account. 

We recognise this may be a change to the way in which you have previously completed your inventory and we encourage you to contact EIDCymru as soon as possible with any queries you may have about the new process.

Before the inventory opens, any keeper without an EIDCymru online account will receive a letter with a link to page on the EIDCymru website. This will enable keepers to submit their inventory directly to EIDCymru without registering for an account. If there are exceptional circumstances you are advised to contact EIDCymru.

EIDCymru will be available by telephone on 01970 636959 and will be able to support you through your options. The Farm Liaison Service will be at livestock markets and the regional shows and will be happy to help.

No, the information will be the same as in previous years. You must record the number of sheep and goats on a holding on 1 December each year. The record should include breeding sheep, rams, ram lambs, store and finished lambs, cull ewes/rams, and other sheep and goats.

You must record the number of sheep and goats on your holding on 1 December in your on-farm ‘Flock Record”. A new version of the flock book is available from EIDCymru.

Yes, to bring the annual inventory in line with all other UK nations, the date of the inventory in Wales will now be 1 December. You will no longer be required to complete an inventory on 1 January.

Yes, keepers are legally required to complete an annual inventory under the Sheep and Goats Records, Identification and Movements (Wales) Order 2015.
 

No. The information required in this inventory is more detailed at holding level than the June survey.

All sheep and goat keepers are legally required to complete an annual inventory under the Sheep and Goats Records, Identification and Movements (Wales) Order 2015.

Yes, if you are the owner but the animals are away wintering, on tack, these animals must be recorded on your inventory.

However, if you have animals on your land but you aren’t the owner (i.e. the animals are “on tack” at your land) it is the owner’s responsibility to record the animals on their annual inventory.
 

Yes, you must list all the CPHs where you keep your sheep and/or goats on 1 December. This includes common land and CPHs which have been issued for sheep movement purposes only.

The common land CPH number can be obtained by contacting the helpline on 01970 636959. You will need to have the following information ready before you contact them:

• name of the common
• common land number

You must remember to include any sheep that you are the owner or registered keeper of, which are grazing common land on 1 December.

Please note: This is the number of sheep that belong to you that are on or were on the common on 1 December, not the number of sheep registered to graze the common.

Yes. You have received the inventory because your CPH has been used for sheep/goat movements during the last year.

If you no longer keep sheep or goats, you must de-register as a sheep keeper by contacting Animal and Plant Health Agency (APHA) on 0300 3038268.

Yes. You have received the inventory because your CPH has been used for sheep/goat movements during the last year. These movements may have occurred before you de-registered as a keeper. 

Yes, these regulations apply to all sheep and goat keepers and you are legally required to complete and return the inventory. 

These regulations only apply to sheep and goats (Ovine and Caprine species). Llamas, alpacas and other livestock are not covered by this legislation.