South Africans who own or keep animals are being urged to have their say on proposed regulations that could introduce strict new identification requirements and penalties for non-compliance.
Public participation organisation Dear SA is calling on commercial farmers, subsistence farmers and household pet owners to submit comments on the Draft Regulations Relating to Identification of Animals, which were gazetted on 6 October 2026.
The proposed regulations, introduced under the Animal Improvement Act 62 of 1998, would require owners to use two forms of identification for declared animals. These could include an electronic RFID tag and visual ear tag, or a microchip and tag.
The regulations cover a wide range of animals, including cattle, sheep, goats, pigs, ostriches, horses, donkeys, rabbits, dogs and bee colonies.
Dear SA CEO Chloe Castle said the proposed rules could place a significant financial and administrative burden on ordinary animal owners.
Under the draft regulations, owners would be responsible for the costs of tags, veterinary services and brand registrations. Microchips are estimated to cost between R150 and R275 each, while the government would not provide free tags.
The regulations would also introduce strict deadlines. Sheep and goats, for example, would have to be tagged within three weeks of birth, while piglets would need to be tagged within one week.
Owners would also have to register themselves, their land and individual animals on the National Database, INTERGIS. Events such as the sale, death, slaughter or loss of an animal tag would have to be reported to the Department of Agriculture or SAPS within seven days.
Failure to comply could carry serious consequences. The draft regulations allow for a fine or up to two years in prison for offences including failing to tag animals, misusing tags or moving untagged animals.
Dear SA says the public consultation process gives South Africans an opportunity to raise concerns before the regulations are finalised.
“The public has a constitutional right to participate,” Castle said, urging animal owners to consider how the proposed rules could affect them.
The deadline for public comments is 29 December 2026.
South Africans can review the proposed regulations and submit comments through the Dear SA platform.
Main Image: Sunday World
