Free cattle herd register template
Every cattle keeper needs a holding register on the farm, as well as reporting to the national system. This one has a line per animal, with every column the rules ask for in England and Wales, and notes below on Scotland and Northern Ireland. Use it as your herd register or as your cattle movement record book.
Before you print
- Set your printer to A4, landscape. Each animal gets one line, with room for its whole time on the farm.
- Print a stack. The register has to be kept for ten years.
- The spreadsheet opens in Excel, Google Sheets and Numbers, with the same columns as the paper sheet.
Filling it in
- Start an animal's line when it's born or arrives, and add to it when it moves off, dies or has a tag replaced.
- In England and Wales, get each entry in on time:
- moves on and off, and replacement tags: within 36 hours;
- births: within 7 days for dairy cattle and 30 days for other cattle;
- deaths: within 7 days.
- The register is separate from BCMS. You still report moves within three days and register a calf for its passport within 27 days of birth. CTS Online doesn't replace the register on the farm. From mid-2027 the Livestock Information Service takes over from BCMS in England: what changes when LIS arrives.
- Paper, a spreadsheet and farm software all count as a register, as long as it holds the same information. In Northern Ireland you can also keep it on APHIS Online.
More on what UK keepers have to record: Livestock record keeping in the UK.
Preview below. Everything above this line is left off the printout.
Cattle herd register
One line per animal. Keep for ten years.
- Holding (CPH) no.
- Keeper
- Year
- Sheet
| Ear tag no. | Date of birth | Sex | Breed code | Dam's ear tag (and surrogate's) | Moved on: date | Moved on: from (CPH) | Moved off: date | Moved off: to (CPH) | Date of death | Tag replaced: date |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Moves must also be reported to the national system. This sheet is a record, not legal advice. Check the rules where you farm on GOV.UK, or with the Welsh Government, the Scottish Government or DAERA.
This register is the manual version
Keeping a line per animal by hand means writing the same tag numbers again and again. Agrianta does that part for you.
- Every animal on one record
- Births, moves, deaths and treatments sit on the animal's record, so your herd register is kept as you go.
- Recorded where it happens
- Log a calving or a move at the pen, even without signal.
- Ready when someone asks
- Your records export in one click for an inspection, and a direct link to LIS is on the way.
Keep using the paper register if it works for you. It is a legal record either way, and it is free.
Common questions
How long do I have to keep a cattle herd register?
Ten years in England, Wales and Scotland.
Does BCMS or CTS Online count as my herd register?
No. CTS Online is where you report to BCMS. You still need your own register on the farm, whether that's paper, a spreadsheet or farm software.
How quickly do I have to update the register?
In England and Wales, within 36 hours for moves and replacement tags, 7 days for dairy births and deaths, and 30 days for other births. In Scotland, moves go in within 48 hours.
Other free templates
Last updated 6 October 2026