Registering as a keeper of animals

In order to keep animals, the keeper of animals must first be registered in the ARIB. The application form can be found on the website of the ARIB. A filled-out application along with a copy of an identity document shall be forwarded to a county service bureau of the ARIB. Registration is also possible via the customer portal e-ARIB.

If the information of a keeper of animal changes, the ARIB shall be notified of such changes within 7 days.

Registering a building

Livestock buildings and facilities and of areas which are enclosed for the keeping of animals shall be registered in the register of farm animals. The application form can be found on the website of the ARIB. A filled-out application along with a copy of an identity document shall be forwarded to a county service bureau of the ARIB.

Registration is also possible via the customer portal e-ARIB.

Where several lairages, buildings, or areas located close to each other can be considered one complex and where animals kept there make up one big herd, they can be registered as one building. Approval from the Agriculture and Food Board shall be obtained for this. In order to obtain approval, the keeper of animals shall submit an application and the relevant information (map regarding the buildings and areas the facility comprises and description of how the herd is kept) to the Agriculture and Food Board centre of the county of their location.

A registered building receives a register number.

If the information submitted upon registering a building changes, the ARIB shall be notified of such changes within 7 days.

Identification and registering of bovine animals and the bovine passport

Bovine animals are animals subject to individual identification.

For identification, a bovine animal shall be marked with two identical ear tags, one in each ear. Bovine animal ear tags are yellow and made of plastic. Each side of the ear tag bears the logo of the Livestock Performance Recording Centre, the marking ‘EE’, and the ten-digit register number of the bovine animal. The ear tags are issued by the Livestock Performance Recording Centre and are attached to the animal’s ear using pliers intended for this task.

A bovine animal shall be marked within 20 days from its birth or earlier if the bovine animal is transferred to another herd or slaughterhouse. The principle is that unmarked animals shall not be transferred outside the herd. The keeper of the animals bears the responsibility for timely marking.

If an ear tag is lost, the keeper of the animal shall notify the ARIB thereof within 2 days via letter or email. After this, the Livestock Performance Recording Centre issues a new ear tag with the same register number. The replacement ear tag shall then be attached to the animal’s ear within 7 days.

After the marking, the animal shall be registered in the register of farm animals. For this, an application shall be filled out and submitted to a county service bureau of the ARIB. The application form is available on the website of the ARIB. The application can also be submitted via the customer portal e-ARIB.

If information in the register changes, the ARIB shall be notified thereof within 7 days. The register data amendment form can be found on the website of the ARIB. The register data (animal marking, first calving, slaughter, perishing, loss, transport inside Estonia, outside Estonia, or import into Estonia, replacement ear tags) can also be amended via the customer portal e-ARIB.

Once the information of a bovine animal has been registered based on an application, the keeper of the animal will receive a bovine passport by mail. The purpose of the bovine passport is to record information regarding an animal’s movement and its veterinary operations. If an animal is introduced to a herd, the name and address of the new keeper of the animal, building number, and the date the animal was introduced to the herd shall be recorded in the bovine passport. In addition, the bovine passport should include all veterinary operations the animal has undergone.

The bovine passport must always accompany the animal. If a bovine animal is transferred to another herd, Member State, or slaughterhouse, the bovine passport shall be handed over with the animal. If an animal perishes, is killed on site, gets lost, or the live animal is exported outside of the EU, this shall be recorded in the passport and the passport shall be returned to the ARIB within 7 days.

If additional pages are required to fill out the bovine passport, these can be applied for from the ARIB. For this, an application for additional pages shall be submitted to the ARIB along with the passport that has been filled with entries.

If a bovine passport gets lost, becomes illegible, or contains errors, a new bovine passport shall be applied for from the ARIB. In the two latter cases, the existing passport which has become illegible or contains errors shall be added to the application.

Marking of porcine animals and providing information regarding kept porcine animals

Porcine animals are animals subject to individual identification.

if a porcine animal is transferred from a building it was born in to another building, it shall be marked with a tattoo or plastic tag attached to its left ear. The marking bears the number of the building the porcine animal was born in. Transfer to another building may be related to purchase and sale, give-away, as well as the owner moving to another building. Therefore, a live porcine animal shall always bear a marking referring to the building it was born in if it is introduced to a new herd. If a porcine animal will not be transferred from the building it was born in to another building, there is no obligation to mark it with a tattoo or ear tag.

If a porcine animal is moved to a slaughterhouse, the number of the building sending the porcine animal to the slaughterhouse shall be hammered into the animal’s thigh area using a needle hammer. This is valid in both cases where a porcine animal is brought to slaughter from the building it was born in as well as a building it had been moved to. Such marking shall be carried out immediately before porcine animals are loaded onto a transport vehicle.

Therefore, if a porcine animal is transported to a slaughterhouse from the building it was born in, it must be marked with the number of the building it was born in (and from where it is sent to slaughter) hammered into its thigh area and if a porcine animal is transported to a slaughterhouse from a building it was not born in, it must have a marking denoting its place of birth in the form of either tattoo or ear tag, and the number of the building from where it is sent to slaughter hammered into its thigh area.

The keeper of the animal must notify the ARIB if a porcine animal is moved from one herd to another. The sample notification form (71.4 KB, RTF) can be found on the website of the ARIB. Notification is also possible via the customer portal e-ARIB.

The keeper of porcine animals must submit information to the ARIB four times a year regarding the number of porcine animals kept. Information shall be submitted as at 31 March, 30 June, 30 September, and 31 December no later than by the 15th date of the following month. The register number and number of porcine animals kept in that site per each site shall be submitted.

In addition to the register number of the site and total number of porcine animals kept in that site, the number of following animals per each site shall be submitted as at 31 December by the 15th date of the following month:

  • piglets;
  • growers;
  • gilts not yet covered;
  • sows not yet covered;
  • sows covered for the first time;
  • sows covered multiple times;
  • boars;
  • fattening pigs with a live weight of 50–80 kg;
  • fattening pigs with a live weight of 80–110 kg;
  • fattening pigs with a live weight of over 110 kg.

Information can also be provided via the customer portal e-ARIB.

Identification, registration, and notification of ovine and caprine animals

Ovine and caprine animals are animals subject to individual identification.

An ovine or caprine animal shall be identified within 6 months from its birth or earlier if the animal is moved to another herd or slaughterhouse before this time. The principle is that unmarked animals shall not be transferred outside the herd. The keeper of the animals bears the responsibility for timely marking.

For identification, the animal will be marked with an ear tag attached to its right ear or a plastic or electronic ear tag in its left ear or a tattoo or a mark on the pastern (for caprine animals only). The identification shall carry information with the code marking EE and the ten-digit unique register number.

As an exception, animals born before 10 July 2005 can be identified with one ear tag.

If an ovine or caprine animal is transported to another Member State, it shall be marked with an ear tag in its right ear and electronic ear tag in its left ear.

The ear tag for caprine animals is red and for ovine animals is yellow. They are issued by the Livestock Performance Recording Centre and are attached to the animal’s ear using pliers intended for this task.

If an ear tag is lost, the keeper of the animal shall notify the ARIB thereof within 2 days via letter or email. After this, the Livestock Performance Recording Centre issues a new ear tag with the same register number. The replacement ear tag shall then be attached to the animal’s ear within 7 days.

After the marking, the animal shall be registered in the register of farm animals. For this, an application shall be filled out and submitted to a county service bureau of the ARIB. The application form is available on the website of the ARIB. The application can also be submitted via the customer portal e-ARIB.

If information in the register changes, the ARIB shall be notified thereof within 7 days. The register data amendment form can be found on the website of the ARIB. The register data (animal marking, first calving, slaughter, perishing, loss, transport inside Estonia, outside Estonia, or import into Estonia, replacement ear tags) can also be amended via the customer portal e-ARIB.

The keeper of ovine animals shall submit information regarding the ovine animals they keep to the ARIB once a year. The information shall always be submitted as at 1 January per each building as follows: number of ewe lambs, number of ewes, number of rams. The information shall be submitted by 15 January at the latest and it can also be submitted via the customer portal e-ARIB.

The keeper of caprine animals shall submit information regarding the caprine animals they keep to the ARIB once a year. The information shall always be submitted as at 1 January per each building as follows: number of doelings, number of does, number of bucks. The information shall be submitted by 15 January at the latest and it can also be submitted via the customer portal e-ARIB.

Identification of horses and the equine passport

Equine animals are farm animals subject to individual identification.

Equine animals are identified and horse passports issued by an acknowledged breed society (e.g. the Estonian Horse Breeders’ Society, Estonian Sport Horse Breeders’ Society, Estonian Trotting Union, etc.) For this, the keeper of horses shall submit a relevant application to the breed society (birth certificate of a foal).

An equine animal shall be identified after weaning but no later than within six months of its birth.

Identification includes:

  • Filling out an identification sheet by an authorised representative of the breed society which includes information regarding the horse’s distinguishing signs and their locations and
  • microchipping the animal by a veterinarian from 1 July 2009.

Equine animals who were born after 1 July 2009 or had not been identified by that time shall be microchipped. If an equine animal’s microchip becomes illegible, the keeper of the animal shall notify a veterinarian thereof within two days. After that, the veterinarian shall administer a microchip with the same numerical combination to the animal within 20 days.

Horses who were born and identified before 1 July 2009 do not have to be microchipped and animals are considered identified based on a description and drawing recorded in the horse passport which contains information on distinguishing signs (marks, scars, burn marks, whorls) and their location (prepared by an authorised representative of the breed society when identifying an animal).

Irrespective of the date of birth, each identified horse shall have a unique identification number (called the UELN code) and information regarding the horse shall be entered into the equine register. The breed society shall appoint a UELN code for an equine animal and enter the data into the register.

A horse passport shall be issued no later than within six months from the horse’s birth or before 31 December of the year of birth (whichever is sooner). It is important to remember that an equine animal must have a horse passport to be sent to a slaughterhouse and the passport shall be handed over with the animal.

Notifying the ARIB of the number of bee colonies

Each beekeeper shall submit information regarding the bees they keep to the ARIB once a year.

Information is always submitted as at 1 May and 1 November: the register number of an apiary and number of bee colonies per apiary.

The information shall be submitted by the 15th date of the same month at the latest and it can also be submitted via the customer portal e-ARIB.

Last updated: 15.12.2020