A permanent CPH number covers land you'll use for more than a year. A temporary CPH number ( tCPH ) covers the use of land up to a year. If the land you plan to use for keeping livestock doesn't have one of these numbers, you must register it.

What is a CPH holding number?

What is a CPH number? 'CPH' stands for County Parish Holding and is an administrative registration number issued by the Rural Payments Agency, an executive agency of DEFRA. Hence the adapted term, CPH number. It is also known as a 'location number'.

Do I need a holding number to keep sheep?

Whether you keep a couple of sheep as pets or have a commercial herd or flock, you need to be registered as a holding, which means you need to apply for a County Parish Holding number (CPH) from the Rural Payments Agency (RPA).