Apply for an exemption from animal disease movement restrictions
Use this service to apply for a licence to move birds or animals onto or off premises in disease control zones.
Applies to England, Scotland and Wales
You can apply for a specific licence that exempts you from disease control movement restrictions in England, Scotland and Wales. This covers any movement or activity within any current disease control zones that are not covered by a general licence.
You can use the specific licence service to:
- check the status of your licence application
- add further information in support of your application
- download issued licences
We’ll ask you for:
- addresses and contact details
- county parish holding (CPH) numbers
- designated premises approval number (if you have one)
- animal identification marks if available (such as ear tags, freeze brands, slap marks and tattoos)
- stock vehicle and driver details if available
You’ll need to register if you have not used this service before.
Before you start
Register your:
The person responsible for the movement or activity must apply for the licence. This might not be the person who will use the licence. For example, the driver of a stock vehicle may use the licence but the applicant will be responsible for compliance with the licence conditions.
In the case of hatching eggs, slaughter poultry, feed or fuel, the hatchery, slaughterhouse, feed or fuel company must apply.
You must apply for your licence with at least 5 working days’ notice. Any movement or activity should not take place until you receive your licence.
If there are exceptional circumstances and you need the licence earlier than 5 days, contact the Animal and Plant Health Agency (APHA) by calling 03000 200 301, or email customeradvice@apha.gov.uk.
You may not need to apply for a specific licence if your movement or activity is covered by a bird flu general licence.
We reserve the right to review and revoke a licence if areas or premises restrictions apply.
Get help
If you need technical help with the service or to report a problem, you can contact the APHA customer advice team.
Email: customeradvice@apha.gov.uk.
Telephone: 03000 200 301.