Have your say: New animal identification rules open for comment

Livestock farmers and other interested stakeholders have until 4 January 2027 to comment on proposed regulations under the Animal Improvement Act, which seek to strengthen animal identification, ownership records and traceability in South Africa.

The department of agriculture has invited public comment on proposed regulations relating to the identification of animals under the Animal Improvement Act, 1998 (Act 62 of 1998).

Published in the Government Gazette on 6 October 2026, the proposed regulations aim to establish a more structured system for identifying and registering animals, with information captured on the Integrated Registration System and Genetic Information System (Intergis).

Proposed regulations target improved livestock traceability

Among the key proposals is that owners of declared animals must ensure their livestock is identified using approved identification devices linked to their ownership details and the holding where the animals are kept.

Cattle: At birth or before reaching six months of age.
Sheep and goats: Within three weeks of birth.
Pigs: Within one week of birth.

All animals must also be identified and tagged before being moved from one holding to another.

Identification methods include digital and analogue ear tags, microchips, brands and tattoos, depending on the species. The proposed system also makes provision for different tag colours: yellow for animals born in South Africa, green for imported animals, and red for animals kept in foot-and-mouth disease-sensitive areas.

In addition to animal identification, owners would be required to register with the registrar and maintain on-farm records of births, deaths, animal movements, medical treatments and associated withdrawal periods. Changes in ownership would also have to be registered on Intergis within seven days.

Non-compliance with the proposed regulations could constitute an offence, with penalties including a fine or imprisonment for up to two years.

Farmers welcome potential record-keeping benefits

Some livestock farmers have welcomed the prospect of a national identification and registration system, particularly its potential to improve record-keeping, traceability and efforts to combat stock theft and animal diseases.

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Moleke Maphile, a goat farmer from Bela-Bela in Limpopo, believes a centralised database could make a significant difference to livestock management, especially for farmers who still rely on paper-based records.

“A national database will help us in many ways, particularly with record-keeping, because currently we keep records on paper, which can get lost or damaged. With a database, we can easily track births, deaths, vaccinations and sales, and prove ownership when there is stock theft,” he said.

Maphile added that improved information-sharing could also help government identify disease outbreaks more quickly, including foot-and-mouth disease.

Concerns raised over accessibility for small-scale farmers

However, Gauteng-based founder of Live Stock Market and farmer Kagiso Marule has raised concerns about how accessible the proposed system will be to subsistence and small-scale farmers, as well as how the information collected could potentially be used.

“I agree that we should know how many animals we have. My disagreement is with the level of exposure this system will create for subsistence farmers and how accessible it will be to them,” he said.

Marule supports the principle of being able to identify animals through a unique identification number that can establish ownership. However, he cautioned against a system that could potentially disadvantage smaller livestock producers.

He also pointed out that subsistence and smaller-scale farmers hold a significant share of South Africa’s livestock market and should be considered in the development and implementation of the regulations.

The proposed regulations are open for public comment for 90 days from the date of publication. Interested stakeholders have until 4 January 2027 to submit written comments to the Minister of Agriculture, for the attention of the Director-General, Department of Agriculture, 600 Lilian Ngoyi Street, Pretoria, 0001.