Federal

Livestock ID tags and movement reporting

Federal traceability rules cover cattle, bison, sheep and pigs, however few you keep. Cattle, bison and sheep need an approved ear tag before they leave your farm, and a replaced tag is reported within 30 days. Pigs need an approved tag or slap tattoo before they leave, and both the farm they leave and the farm they arrive at report the move within 7 days. Sheep farms also keep five years of records of sheep 18 months or older that leave for anywhere but slaughter. The records let an animal disease be traced to every farm an animal passed through. Goats and farmed deer aren’t covered yet; adding them is proposed.

A change is coming

  • ID tags and reporting for goats and farmed deer — proposed, no date set; it may not happen. What changes
Who issues it
Canadian Food Inspection Agency
Forms and pages

Who needs it

Meat, poultry & egg producersFor cattle, bison, sheep or pigs

The rules behind this page

Last checked 26 September 2026. We check this guide regularly against Island Health, provincial and municipal sources, but regulations and laws change often and we can’t guarantee it is complete or current. Confirm with Island Health and your municipality before you apply, build or sell.

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