Registering with DEFRA

We are expecting our plans to get goats to start taking shape this month. Yet getting goats is not simply a matter of buying the animals and housing them on the land we have arranged for them. The red tape of the state steps in at this point. The transportation of goats from one owner's site to another is an activity that is monitored and recorded by DEFRA, for good reason (disease control). There has to be a paper trail that proves the identity of the animal and its source. Whilst the red tape is an irritation, it is nevertheless necessary. So today I registered with DEFRA for a "County Parish Holding Number", which will be unique to me and identifies who I am and where I will be keeping my goats. I need the number before I can buy the goats as I have to give my number to the person selling the goats to me. It will take a few days before the number arrives and by then I am hoping we will be well on the way to preparing our site for the arrival of the animals