Trade with sheep and goats with other countries in the EU
There are specific rules that you must follow when trading in sheep and goats or with semen, ova and embryos from sheep and goats. These rules apply to all EU Member States as well as EU Member State or to Norway, Northern Ireland, Switzerland, Andorra, the Faroe Islands, Gibraltar, Greenland, Liechtenstein, Monaco or San Marino. Please note that the United Kingdom is now counted as a country outside the EU.
Sheep are defined as all sheep in the genus Ovis, for example all breeds of sheep as well as mouflon and other wild sheep. Goats are defined as all goats in the genus Capra.
Bringing in sheep and goats from other countries in the EU
The establishment must be registered
Any establishment where there are sheep and goats must be registered. If sheep and goats are to be moved to your establishment from another EU Member State or from Norway, Northern Ireland, Switzerland, Andorra, the Faroe Islands, Gibraltar, Greenland, Liechtenstein, Monaco or San Marino, it is important that your establishment has been registered in good time (at least 4 weeks) before the animals are due to move.
This is because the Swedish Board of Agriculture must enter the information about the establishment in the EU-wide computer system Traces, which is used in connection with the transport of animals.
You must be registered to bring in animals
In order for you to be permitted to bring in animals to Sweden, you must be registered for import with the Swedish Board of Agriculture. You have to register in our e-service at least 30 business days before the expected date of the first occasion of import.
The registration is valid for 2 years from the date on which you are registered. Registration costs SEK 150.
Health certificates and diseases
The EU common health certificate, which must be used for any movement of animals within the EU, certifies that the animals do not carry serious diseases or diseases that affect different EU regions to variable degrees. It is the responsibility of the official veterinarian in the country of dispatch to ensure that the animals comply with the requirements of the certificate.
Sweden continues to have a very good status concerning the disease scrapie within the EU. Check that the herd selling the animals fulfils the guarantees for this disease. To do so, please contact the competent authority of the country of dispatch, which can verify that the herd is on an official register for herds with negligible risk. A certificate from the register shall accompany the animals.
Sheep with the ARR/ARR genotype and goats with K222, D146 or S146 alleles may be brought in from countries with a lower scrapie status as they are considered resistant to the disease.
Currently, only Finland, Czech Republic, Slovenia and Austria have a negligible risk for scrapie and Denmark has an approved national plan for scrapie which allows import of sheep and goats from these countries. All other countries need to have at least 7 years of scrapie surveillance on the holding before they can send animals to Sweden.
Compliance with the requirements concerning scrapie may be difficult to verify. If in doubt about the scrapie status of the country or herd, contact the Swedish Board of Agriculture.
Goats may be moved to another Member State if they come from a holding where surveillance for infection with tuberculosis complex has been carried out for at least the last 12 months prior to dispatch. Surveillance shall include
- post-mortem inspection of all slaughtered goats from the holding
- post-mortem examination of all killed or euthanized goats older than 9 months
- an annual animal health visit carried out by a veterinarian
- annual testing with negative results of all goats kept on the holding for breeding.
All rams must be tested for Brucella ovis (contagious epididymitis) within 30 days of departure, if the animals are older than 6 months or uncastrated.
Marking and reporting
The animals must be marked with an ID marking which is approved in the country from which the animals are coming.
Sheep and goats that have been brought into Sweden must be reported to the movement registry for sheep and goats at the latest 7 days after they have arrived at the first Swedish establishment.
Plan the transport carefully
There may be areas with restrictions on the transport of sheep and goats, due to infectious animal diseases. There may be special rules for the transport of sheep and goats in such areas. You must ensure that you know in advance about these areas, so that the animals are not stopped somewhere along the way.
Registering the transporter for the movement of animals between countries
If you are transporting animals to or from Sweden, you must be registered as a transporter. You register as a transporter using our e-service. Please note that a registration as a transporter is not the same as the transporter’s permit required to transport animals as part of your business activities.
Bring the animals via a customs post
When you bring sheep and goats from EU Member State or from Norway, Northern Ireland, Switzerland, Andorra, the Faroe Islands, Gibraltar, Greenland, Liechtenstein, Monaco or San Marino, the animals may enter only via a customs post. When the animals pass the border, you must notify the customs post in question of the import. Our recommendation is that you notify the customs post well in advance that the transport is on its way, and let them know when the transport is expected to arrive at the border.
Bringing sheep and goats to other EU countries
Please note that the United Kingdom is now a country outside the EU.
The establishment must be registered
Any establishment where there are sheep and goats must be registered. If sheep and goats are to be moved from the establishment to another EU Member State or to Norway, Northern Ireland, Switzerland, Andorra, the Faroe Islands, Gibraltar, Greenland, Liechtenstein, Monaco or San Marino, it is important that the establishment has been registered in good time before the animals are due to move.
This is because the Swedish Board of Agriculture must enter the information about the establishment in the EU-wide computer system Traces, which is used in connection with the transport of animals.
Health certificates
You must have contacted an official veterinarian in good time, who shall examine the animals and issue a health certificate within 24 hours prior to departure. The veterinarian must also be able to certify that the animals meet all the requirements of the health certificate. Digitally signed animal health certificates do not need to be printed. The health certificate is also sent electronically between countries through the EU's common Traces database.
- There is an animal health certificate for sheep and goats not intended for slaughter: OV/CAP-INTRA-X
- There is an animal health certificate for sheep and goats intended for direct slaughter: OV/CAP-INTRA-Y
The health certificate for breeding is to be used for all animals that are not intended for immediate slaughter. This also applies to any animals that may be castrated.
The animals must have been in the dispatching establishment for at least 30 days before they can be sent to another EU Member State. The official veterinarian must certify that this is the case in the certificate. If the animals have not been in isolation, no new animals may have been added to the herd for that period.
Rams must have been tested for Brucella ovis with negative test results at the earliest 30 days before export if they are not castrated.
For animals that are to be used for breeding, a lineage certificate must be included if you want to enter them in the stud book.
Travel plan
The animals must be accompanied by a travel plan during any transport which exceeds 8 hours. This travel plan is to be prepared by the official veterinarian, approved by the Swedish Board of Agriculture, and must accompany the animals.
Marking
The animals must be correctly marked for identification and the transport must be registered with the central sheep and goat registry. When moving to other EU Member States, sheep and goats must have at least one electronic ear tag. If you do not have an electronic ear tag, you need to order it and tag the animal with it. If the animal already has two conventional ear tags, you shall replace one with an electronic ear tag.
Assembly centre
If you are sending animals from multiple herds to another country, you may need to assemble the animals. Assembly may take place via an approved assembly centre, or en route according to special rules. You must seek an approval from the Swedish Board of Agriculture, both for an assembly centre and for assembly en route. At present, there is no approved assembly centre for sheep and goats in Sweden.
Plan the transport carefully
There may be areas with restrictions on the transport of sheep and goats, due to infectious animal diseases. There may be special rules for the transport of sheep and goats in such areas. You must ensure that you know in advance about these areas, so that the animals are not stopped somewhere along the way.
Registering the transporter for the movement of animals between countries
If you are transporting animals to or from Sweden, you must be registered as a transporter. You register as a transporter using our e-service. Please note that a registration as a transporter is not the same as the transporter’s permit required to transport animals as part of your business activities.
Bringing in semen, ova and embryos from sheep and goats from other EU countries
The semen, ova, and embryos must have been stored in an approved collection centre or approved storage centre before being imported into Sweden.
Health certificates and zootechnical certificates
The consignment has to be accompanied by an official health certificate in the original. The health certificate must be issued by an official veterinarian in the country from which the animal is coming no earlier than 24 hours before loading.
If you import semen and want to enroll offspring in the studbook, a zoothechnical certificate must also accompany the semen.
Your establishment must be approved for intra-EU trade with semen, ova and embryos.
Your establishment must be approved for intra-EU trade with semen, ova and embryos.
You need a permit working with semen, ova and embryos
In order to trade with semen, ova and embryos, you must have a permit for activities involving breeding material.
You may buy semen, ova and embryos from sheep and goats from EU Member States or from Norway, Northern Ireland, Switzerland, Andorra, the Faroe Islands, Gibraltar, Greenland, Liechtenstein, Monaco or San Marino.
Bringing semen, ova and embryos from sheep and goats to other EU countries
Your establishment must be approved for intra-EU trade with semen, ova and embryos.
You need a permit working with semen, ova and embryos
In order to trade with semen, ova and embryos, you must have a permit for activities involving breeding material.
Contact us for more information
This page provides an overview of the rules that apply. You are welcome to contact us for more information.
Revision date: 2026-02-12