Provincial

Premises ID registration

Anyone responsible for even one farm animal must register the place it is kept with BC’s Premises ID program: cattle, bison, sheep, goats, pigs, horses, alpacas and llamas, rabbits, farmed deer, chickens, turkeys, ducks, geese and other poultry, and honey bees. There is no minimum flock, herd or hive count. It is how the Province finds the farms at risk in a disease outbreak or a flood, and you need it before you can apply for a Farmgate licence or a chicken small-lot permit.

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
BC Ministry of Agriculture and Food
Cost
Free.
How long
Register within 30 days of becoming responsible for the animals, and report changes within 30 days.
Forms and pages

Who needs it

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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