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Procedure descriptions

Tierseuchenkasse Baden-Württemberg - register farm animals

If you are a new animal owner, you must register your animals with the Tierseuchenkasse Baden-Württemberg.
This applies to both farm animals and animals for private use (for example riding horses).

Irrespective of sex and age, the following must be registered

  • Horses (including foals, this includes large and small horses and ponies)
  • Cattle (including bison, bison and water buffalo)
  • Pigs (including mini-pigs, pot-bellied pigs and micro-pigs)
  • Sheep - to be observed:
    • Sheep that are up to 9 months old are notifiable
    • Sheep that are 10 months old and older are subject to registration and contributions
  • Chickens including chicks, this also includes cocks, animals for slaughter and fattening
  • Turkeys including chicks, including cocks, animals for slaughter and fattening
  • Bees and scions (if not registered through a beekeepers' association affiliated either with the Landesverband Badischer Imker e.V. or the Landesverband Württembergische Imker e.V.)

Exceptions:

  • Animal keepers with up to 25 chickens and/or turkeys, who keep only these and no other animals subject to contributions
  • Wild animals kept in captivity
  • Animals belonging to the state of BW
  • Animals that are only temporarily (up to 6 months) in BW and are registered with an animal disease fund in another federal state. Proof of this must be provided upon request
  • Animals that are not kept for longer than 6 months in the survey period (e.g. veterinary clinic, riding)

The purpose for which the animals are kept, whether commercially, as a farm or for private reasons, is irrelevant for the obligation to register and pay contributions.

Responsible department

the Tierseuchenkasse Baden-Württemberg (institution under public law)

The lower animal health authority (veterinary office) is responsible for the registration of animal husbandry.

Details

Prerequisite

  • The location of the animals must be in Baden-Württemberg.
  • The animal owner is obliged to register and pay contributions (for example, in the case of boarding animal husbandry, the stable operator to whom you pay your box rent).
  • The animal husbandry must be registered with the locally competent lower animal health authority (veterinary office).

Procedure

You must submit the notification to the Tierseuchenkasse in writing by post, fax or online. Notifications by telephone will not be considered.

In the case of informal notification, you must state

  • from which date (month and year) how many animals per species (total number per species) are kept and
  • where the animals are housed (address of the stable, if different from home address).

You will receive an animal owner number following the notification. You must state this number for all subsequent notifications. Subsequent notifications are:

  • annual livestock declaration
  • Change of livestock
  • Change of address

Another way of registering with the Tierseuchenkasse is by completing Annex C of the application for registration with the relevant lower animal health authority (veterinary office). The veterinary office forwards the completed annexes to the Tierseuchenkasse Baden-Württemberg.

Deadlines

You must notify the Tierseuchenkasse of the start of animal husbandry within two weeks. You must notify certain changes in the animal population immediately.

Note: If you register with the respective competent veterinary office via Annex C of the application for registration, you must do so before starting the activity. You must notify changes immediately.

Required documents

completed form "New registration with the Tierseuchenkasse Baden-Württemberg"

Costs

For certain animals you have to pay an annual contribution to the Tierseuchenkasse.
You can find the details of the contributions on the website of the Tierseuchenkasse Baden-Württemberg. The contributions are subdivided according to animal species.

Processing time

You will usually receive your pet owner number within a few days.

Miscellaneous

Animal owners are obliged to report the number of pigs, sheep and goats in their herd to the HIT database (via the Landesverband Baden-Württemberg für Leistungsprüfungen in der Tierzucht e.V. (LKV)) on 1 January of each year.

The notification must be made by 15 January of the year. Further information on animal identification can be found on the LKV portal.
The PIN for online registration can be obtained from the Ministry of Food, Rural Areas and Consumer Protection (Control and Coordination of EU Measures (SEU)).

Note: Registration via the lower animal health authority is mandatory above all for the keeping of:

  • Cattle
  • Pigs
  • Sheep
  • Goats
  • Equidae (horses, donkeys)
  • Chickens
  • Turkeys
  • Geese
  • Ducks
  • Pheasants
  • Guinea fowls
  • Pigeons
  • Quails
  • Ratites
  • Fish in aquaculture
  • Bees and bumble bees
  • Game in the wild
  • Camelids

Release note

13.09.2023 Ministerium für Ernährung, Ländlichen Raum und Verbraucherschutz Baden-Württemberg

Contact

Bürger- und Standesamt (Bürgeramt)
Grabenstraße 15
89522 Heidenheim an der Brenz
Fax (0 73 21) 3 23-33 32