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

Do you need it?

You need it if

  • You are responsible for even one farm animal — poultry, livestock, horses, rabbits or honey bees.
Where this comes from

Sources

How to get it

  1. 1

    Register online

    Or by paper form, email or mail. It’s free.

  2. 2

    Have your details ready

    The address or legal land description, an emergency contact, the type of premises, and each species with its maximum number. Use the nine-digit parcel ID from your assessment notice and you get your Premises ID immediately; otherwise within about two business days.

Where this comes from

Sources

Once you have it

  • Update it within 30 days when your contact details or operation change. Moving gives you a new Premises ID.
Where this comes from

Sources

What comes next

Slaughter licence: Abattoir, Farmgate Plus or FarmgateBC Ministry of Agriculture and FoodChicken small-lot permit or turkey Direct Vendor licenceBC Chicken / BC Turkey Marketing BoardEgg flock permitBC Egg Marketing Board

Which businesses need it

Farms & market gardensIf you keep hens or any other farm animalsMeat, poultry & egg producersRaising animals for meat, or hens for eggs.BeekeepersBees count as farm animals here too

The rules behind this page

Last checked 9 October 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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