Guidance

Apply for a county parish holding (CPH) number

ApplyYou onlinemust forget a CPHcounty numberparish forholding land(CPH) ornumber buildingsif you'llyou use to keep livestock,livestock includingas thosea keptbusiness, ashobby pets,or pet in England.

Applies to England

Introduction

SaveA timecounty registeringparish asholding a(CPH) livestocknumber, keeper

Toor registerholding asnumber, ameans livestockthe keeper,government youknows mustwhere contactyour thelivestock Ruralare Paymentskept Agencyand (RPA),can Animaltrace &them Plantto Healthhelp Agencyprevent (APHA) and ifcontrol youdisease.

You keepmust cattle,get thea BritishCPH Cattlenumber Movementfor Serviceland (BCMS).

Youand canbuildings takeused partto inkeep alivestock trialfor inany whichpurpose.

This keepersincludes willkeeping onlylivestock needas:

  • a tobusiness, contactsuch the RPAFillas infarming
  • a thishobby, form ifsuch you’reas applyingchickens forin CPH numbera forhome thegarden
  • a firstpet, timesuch andas woulda like to take part.

    goat

You

If mustyour getland crosses a countyborder

If parishyour holdingland (CPH)crosses numbera forborder, landcontact andthe buildingsRural usedPayments toAgency keep(RPA).

Rural livestockPayments forAgency
Telephone any(Defra purpose,rural includingservices thosehelpline): kept03000 as200 pets.301 
Monday It’sto sometimesFriday, referred8:30am to as5pm 
Find aout holdingabout number.call charges

You

When mustto doapply thisfor soa thatCPH thenumber

You governmentcan knowsapply wherefor livestocka areCPH keptnumber anda canmaximum traceof them6 toweeks helpbefore preventlivestock and control disease.arrive.

LivestockFor includes: example:

    1. cattle,Your bisoncattle andwill buffaloarrive (bovineon animals) 1 June 2026.
    2. pigs 
    3. goats 
    4. sheep 
    5. deer 
    6. poultryYou (ifcan youapply havefor 50a CPH number on or more)after 20 April 2026.

You doshould notapply needfor a CPH number toas useearly animalas by-productspossible (ABP)to orreduce setthe uprisk anof ABP site.delay.

Before

If you start

Youhave canalready onlyregistered applyother forlivestock, CPH numberyou acan maximumamend ofyour 6CPH weeksdetails

What before the livestock arrive.

There’sneeds a differentCPH processnumber

Livestock toyou getneed a CPH number if,number for example, you plan to:includes:

CallThe the RPA ifprocess you’reis unsuredifferent whatif typeyou of CPH numberkeep youfewer need.

Ruralthan Payments50 Agency 
Telephonepoultry (Defraor ruralany servicesnumber helpline):of 03000other 200captive 301
Mondaybirds, tofor Friday,example, 8:30amcanaries, tofinches 5pm 
Findand outpigeons.

Read more about callgetting charges 

Registeringa lessCPH number if you keep fewer than 50 poultry or otherany number of captive birds

If

Rules you’reon getting a keeperCPH ofnumber lessfor thancertain 50business poultryuses

Use orthis othersection captiveif birds,you:

  • use youanimal mustby-products
  • run registera with APHA.slaughterhouse
  • run Thisan includesanimal anygathering, birdssuch youas keepa aslivestock pets.market APHAor willshow
  • race providepigeons
  • keep youfewer withthan a50 CPHpoultry or any number whenof youcaptive register.birds
  • keep Youhorses shouldfor notexport
  • keep applybovines, forsuch aas CPHcattle, numberbison fromor RPAbuffalo

Animal separately.

by-products

IfYou youdo alreadynot haveneed a a CPH number numberto fromuse keepinganimal otherby-products livestock,(ABP) callor set theup RPAan ABP site

Get toa get your CPH number updatedfor toa includeslaughterhouse

If keepingyou’re 50setting poultryup ora otherslaughterhouse, captiveyou birds.

Ruralmust Paymentsfirst Agency 
Telephoneregister (Defrawith ruralthe servicesFood helpline):Standards 03000Agency 200(FSA)

The 301
MondayFSA totells Friday,the 8:30amRPA towho 5pm 
Findwill outissue aboutyou callwith chargesa CPH number.

Who

Get cana apply for CPH number online 

number for an animal gathering

You canmust applyget fora CPH number usingnumber theto onlinehold forman ifanimal you’re:gathering.

  • not

    This alreadyis registeredwhen oncertain the Ruralspecies Paymentsof service (the RPA’sanimals registrationare system)

  • brought together from different places:

    • overfor 18show yearsor oldexhibition
    • keepingto livestockbe ininspected England

    Dofor notbreed usecharacteristics, thefor onlineexample, formto ifassess you’repedigree alreadystatus

You registereddo onnot theneed Rurala Payments service. RPACPH already hasnumber muchto ofrun thea informationbird itgathering

Get needsa CPH number to processrace yourpigeons application.in ApplyEurope byand phoneNorthern instead.

Ireland

RuralIf Paymentsyou Agency
Telephonemove (Defraracing ruralpigeons servicesto helpline):the 03000EU 200or 301
MondayNorthern toIreland Friday,for 8:30amimmediate torelease 5pm
Findfor outracing aboutback callto charges

FindEngland, outyou howneed toa apply for CPH number: number:

Call RPA

Get a CPH if yournumber landif crossesyou akeep border.

Thefewer rulesthan are50 differentpoultry inor Northernany Ireland.number Readof the guidancecaptive forbirds

You animalmust identification,get registrationa CPH number from the Animal and movementsPlant Health Agency (APHA). if you keep:

Get
  • fewer thethan National50 Gridpoultry
  • any fieldnumber numbersof forother yourcaptive landbirds

Get ora buildings

YouCPH mustnumber provideto accurateexport Nationalor Gridmove fieldhorses numbersfrom soGreat that RPA knowBritain exactlyto wherethe animalsEU willor beNorthern kept.

Ireland

You must provideget thea NationalCPH Gridnumber fieldfrom numbers for:

  • the mainAPHA areabefore whereexporting you’llor keepmoving livestock
  • anyhorses and other landequines, orincluding buildingsdonkeys, wheremules you’lland keepzebras, livestock

Forfrom example,Great ifBritain you’reto athe petEU owner,or theNorthern mainIreland.

Before areaapplying youfor keepa livestockCPH mightnumber, beyou ashould backread yard,the gardencurrent orrules piecefor ofexporting landhorses attachedand toother yourequines house.from the UK

If you keep bovine livestock

If asyou akeep hobby,cattle, thebison mainor areabuffalo, mightyou bemust aconfirm communitythe allotment,name backand yardaddress orof ayour pieceveterinary ofpractice landfor bovine TB testing purposes.

If you own.have Foralready farmers,moved thecattle, mainbison areaor isbuffalo onto the gatheringland, pointyou onmust yourprovide farmthe yardear ortag mainnumbers field.and the dates they moved.

AYou Nationalcan Gridprovide fieldear numbertag isnumbers notand themovement samedates asin anthe Ordnanceapply Surveyfor grida reference.

UseCPH the multi-agencyform. geographicHowever, informationif foryou thehave countryside20 (MAGIC)or map tomore findbovine livestock, the NationalRPA Gridrecommends fieldadding numbersdetails forin yourbulk.

To landupload orin buildings. Follow these instructions:bulk:

  1. Select

    Download ‘Getthe Started’.‘Provide cattle ear tag numbers in bulk’ spreadsheet.

  2. Search

    Enter the ear tag number for aeach county,cow, placebison or postcode.buffalo in column A (one per row).

  3. Using

    Enter the map,date locate the landlivestock ormoved building.onto Useyour theholding +/-in iconscolumn toB.

  4. Repeat zoomsteps in2 and out.3 for all livestock.

  • In
  • How amto I?’)apply -online itfor looksa likeCPH number

    Apply for a target.CPH number online if you’re:

    • Clicknot onalready registered with the landRural orPayments building.service
    • Aregistered pop-upon boxthe willRural appearPayments showingservice thebut landdo detailsnot forhave thisa location.CPH Thenumber
    • over National18 Gridyears fieldold

    If numberyou’re isalready registered on the thirdRural numberPayments downservice and comeshave aftera theCPH ‘Gridnumber, Ref’you (Ordnanceshould:

    You ofcan 2also lettersuse andthe 8CPH numbers,amendment form to apply for example,an SOadditional 0418CPH 8589. number.

    Other

    What information you’llyou need

    to apply for a CPH number

    You’llA needCPH tonumber sayincludes information about you, your livestock, if you own or rent the land or buildings whereand you’llyour keepbusiness.

    You thewill livestock.be Ifasked you rent it, you’ll need to confirmshare, if:for example:

    • youyour havename
    • your acontact tenancydetails agreement- tocorrespondence rentaddress, itphone fornumber moreand thanan oneemail yearaddress
    • the landownerbusiness alreadyyou’re haspart CPH numberof, if applicable

    Apply
  • your onlinelivestock’s forlocation a- CPHits number
  • easting and northing

    To Starthelp nowkeep

    Ifyour account secure, you cannotwill completebe theasked form

    to provide answers to security questions.

    Renting land or buildings

    If you’re unablerenting tofor completemore thethan form,one call RPA toyear, completeyou yourmust applicationget overa CPH number from the phone.RPA.

    RuralIf Paymentsyou’re Agency
    Telephonerenting (Defrafor ruralless servicesthan helpline):one 03000year, 200the 301
    Mondayrules toare Friday,different. 8:30amIf to 5pm
    Find out about call chargesyou:

    After
    • already you’vehave applied

    RPAa CPH will sendnumber, you anmust emailget with a validationtemporary linkland toassociation confirm(TLA) youror emailtemporary address.county Youparish mustholding click(tCPH) onnumber

  • do thisnot linkhave withina 12CPH hours.number, If you domust notget doa this7000 withinseries 12CPH hours,number youfrom mustthe contact RPA to getand anothera emailTLA validationor link.tCPH number

  • Rural

    After Paymentsyou Agency
    Telephoneapply (Defrafor rurala servicesCPH helpline):number 03000from 200 301
    RPA Monday

    The toRPA Friday,will 8:30amshare toyour 5pm
    Findregistered outinformation about call chargeswith:

    The emailRPA will alsosend includeyou aan email that includes a:

    • validation link you must click this within 12 hours or request another from the RPA
    • single business identifier (SBI) and
    • customer reference number (CRN)), for you to use when contacting contacting RPA in future. 

    Other ways to apply

    Call RPA ifYou you’dwill preferalso toget applyan foremail CPH number by phone.from:

    Amend your CPH details

    You can amend your CPH details online.

    Apply online for a CPH number

    Start now

    Updates to this page

    Published 9 October 2024
    Last updated 522 MayJuly 2026 href="#full-history">+ show Show all updates
    1. The process for applying for a CPH has changed. You only need to register with the RPA, unless you’re keeping fewer than 50 poultry or any number of captive birds.

    2. Added a link to the 'Amend your CPH details' online service.

    3. Animal by product operators in England do not need a CPH number.

    4. If you’re a keeper of less than 50 poultry or other captive birds, you must register with APHA. This includes any birds you keep as pets. APHA will provide you with a CPH number when you register. You should not apply for a CPH number from RPA separately.

    5. First published.

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