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§6/§8 removal certificates explained: what SA livestock farmers need to know

A plain-English guide for South African livestock farmers.

If you've ever moved or sold cattle, sheep, goats or pigs in South Africa, you'll have run into the "removal certificate" — often called the §6/§8. It's the document that travels with your animals to prove who owns them, where they came from, and that they're being moved or sold lawfully. Get it right and the sale goes smoothly; get it wrong and you can be turned away at the auction or held up at a roadblock.

What is a §6/§8 removal certificate?

In short, it's the paperwork that authorises stock to leave your property and accompanies them to their destination — the auction yard, the abattoir, or another farm. It ties the animals to you (the registered owner) through your brand and their ear tags, and records who is receiving them. Auctioneers, buyers, abattoirs and the authorities all rely on it to confirm the movement is above board.

When do you need one?

• Sending stock to an auction — the yard will expect a removal document for the consignment.
• Selling privately — to another farmer or buyer, the document shows the animals lawfully changed hands and where they're going.
• Moving animals between properties or to an abattoir.

What the document needs to contain

Exact fields vary, but a removal certificate generally covers:

• The owner's details and registered brand/identification mark.
• The animals — species, number, and their ear-tag / identification numbers.
• The destination, and for a private sale the buyer/recipient's details.
• Transport details — who is carrying the stock, and the vehicle.
• A health declaration (the §8 part) — declaring the animals' disease status.
• The owner's signature.

Common mistakes that cause hold-ups

• Missing or mismatched tag numbers — if the animals don't match the document, expect questions.
• No brand on the paperwork — the owner's mark is central to proving ownership.
• Blank buyer or transport sections on a private sale.
• Doing it by hand under time pressure on auction day — that's when errors creep in.

How KraalBook makes it easy

This paperwork is exactly what KraalBook is built to take off your plate. Because every animal is already registered with its tags and your brand, building a sale and producing the §6/§8 removal certificate is a few taps: you scan or pick the animals, add the buyer and transport details, complete the health declaration, and KraalBook generates the certificate as a PDF you can share on WhatsApp, email or print. The same details flow onto each animal's shareable fact sheet, so the animal's history travels with it.