In Switzerland, sheep and goats are reported via the TVD — every birth, every arrival, every departure, and every death must be recorded. The notification deadline depends on the event: births within 30 days, arrivals and departures within 3 working days. Notifications are submitted either through the agate.ch portal or via a TVD-compatible app.
This guide explains which events are notifiable, how the notification process works, and how to reduce the administrative burden with an app.
Which Events Are Notifiable?
- Birth — every newborn lamb or kid; sheep and goats must be tagged with two ear tags within 30 days (for sheep, one must be electronic)
- Arrival — animals coming onto your farm (purchase, return from the alp)
- Departure — animals leaving your farm (sale, change of location)
- Death / slaughter / fallen stock
- Alpine summering (Sömmerung) — drive-up to and drive-down from the alp
Step by Step: Notification via agate.ch
- Log in with your Agate or CH-Login credentials.
- Open the TVD section.
- Select the notification type (e.g. birth).
- Enter the ear tag number, date, and — for births — the dam.
- Review and submit the notification.
The process works, but is cumbersome on a smartphone. Anyone with several births in spring quickly ends up entering a dozen ear tag numbers by hand.
Key Deadlines at a Glance
The deadline depends on the event: report births within 30 days, arrivals and departures (including alpine summering drive-up and drive-down) within 3 working days. Meeting deadlines avoids TVD fees and potential findings during inspections. For the current deadlines, visit tierverkehr.ch or consult FSVO.
Do you also keep cattle? The birth and movement deadlines are the same as for sheep and goats (30 days for births, 3 working days for arrivals/departures). The only shorter deadline for cattle is tagging: a calf needs two ear tags within 20 days (sheep and goats within 30 days). An accompanying document is required during transport for all cloven-hoofed animals. See the guide Reporting cattle to the TVD.
Faster with an App
A herd management app like Herdy stores animal data once and uses it for all notifications. A birth notification that takes five to ten minutes through the web portal can be completed in under a minute — and the app reminds you of pending notifications before a deadline expires.
Summary
TVD notification for sheep and goats is mandatory, but it doesn't have to be burdensome. Anyone who knows the deadlines and uses a digital tool is always ready for the next inspection.