Buying livestock? Ask for the vet certificate before you load

When you buy an animal, you are not only buying that animal. You are bringing it home to the cows, goats, sheep or birds you already own. If it carries a disease, your whole herd pays the price. That is why experienced buyers ask one question before anything else: is there a vet certificate?

Why it matters for your home herd

Many livestock diseases spread quietly. An animal can look fine at the market and still carry foot-and-mouth disease, lumpy skin disease, contagious caprine pleuropneumonia in goats, brucellosis or ticks that carry East Coast fever. Once it joins your animals, the infection can move through your herd within days, and the cost of treatment, lost milk and lost animals is far higher than the price you paid.

A certificate from a veterinary officer who examined the animal before it left the seller's farm is your best protection. It means a professional has looked for the signs you cannot always see.

What a good certificate shows

• The animal's identity: ear tag number, brand or a clear description, so you know the paper belongs to this animal.
• Species, breed, sex and age.
• Body condition and general health at the time of the check.
• Vaccinations and deworming with their dates.
• What was examined and what was found.
• The date of the check, and the vet's name, registration number, signature or stamp.

Check that the date is recent and that the description matches the animal in front of you. If something does not match, ask before you pay.

Use the platform to choose with confidence

On Livestock Markets, look for the Vet-verified badge on a listing. It shows that the animal's health was checked by a vet officer. Many sellers also attach their papers, such as vaccination records, health certificates and movement permits, which you can open from the listing.

In your dashboard you can filter the market to show vet-verified animals only. Making your offer on a verified animal means fewer surprises, fewer wasted trips and a safer start for the animal on your farm.

Before you pay

• See the animal yourself, or send someone you trust.
• Compare the animal with the certificate: tag, colour, sex, age.
• Ask about the movement permit if the animal is crossing into another area.
• Pay only when you are satisfied with what you have seen and read.

A healthy purchase protects everything you have already built. Ask for the certificate, check it, and trade with confidence.