Livestock Hauliers in the UK
Livestock transport is a regional trade, so this is a short starting list rather than a national directory. UK-wide firms come first, then each nation.
This page lists 16 UK livestock hauliers, UK-wide firms first and then each nation, each checked against its own website on 5 November 2026. Before you book, check the haulier holds a transporter authorisation for your species and journey length, and remember it is you, not the haulier, who reports the movement.
Read the transporter authorisation rules: www.businesscompanion.info. GOV.UK says journeys over 65 km need a transporter authorisation, and the driver needs a certificate of competence. Check before booking a haulier for the first time.
No paid placements. Run a UK business that fits here? Email hello@farmhq.ai with your business name, area covered and website.
Which livestock hauliers cover my area?
Livestock haulage is local, so start with the region you farm in and ring two firms. The coverage shown is what each firm says on its own page, and most will travel further for the right load. We have no haulier with its own website yet for East Anglia, Devon, Somerset, Dorset or most of Northern Ireland: for those, ask your local mart which lorries it uses.
UK-wide
- Edward Gilder Transport: UK and international, high-health breeding animals
- Wm Armstrong: Throughout the UK
Scotland
- Peter McKerral & Co: Argyll and central Scotland
- P A Laing Transport Services: Scottish Borders
- Sinclair Haulage: Orkney
- B.J. Johnston Livestock Haulage: Penrith firm covering England, Scotland and Wales
Wales
- R E Roberts & Co: North Wales
- Owen Lewis & Son: Cardigan, Wales and UK
- G H Bradshaw & Sons: North and Mid Wales from Shropshire
Northern Ireland
- Boyd Haulage: Northern Ireland
North of England
- B.J. Johnston Livestock Haulage: Penrith, Cumbria
- R.I. Stamper Haulage: Kirkbride, Cumbria
- P. Proudlove & Son: Malpas, Cheshire
Midlands and the Welsh border
- G H Bradshaw & Sons: Whitchurch, Shropshire
- P. Proudlove & Son: Cheshire and Shropshire markets
- Michael F Merriman & Sons: Warwickshire, England-wide
East of England
- Harvey Bros Livestock: Tattershall, Lincolnshire
South West England
- R.J. Trevarthen: Cornwall and the South West
South East England
- C B Livestock Services: Kent, Surrey and Sussex
How do I choose and check a livestock haulier?
Check the paper before the price. GOV.UK says that if you hire someone to move your animals, you must make sure they hold a transporter authorisation for the species, and an authorised transporter should be able to show you their documents. On journeys over 65 km the haulier needs one, and the driver, plus any attendant, needs a certificate of competence for that species and journey length, as set out in GOV.UK's guidance on transporting animals in Great Britain.
What I would ask for on a first booking: a copy of the authorisation showing cattle or sheep, the driver's certificate of competence, and a lorry suited to your stock. Ask whether your buyer or scheme wants anything extra. A haulier who knows your yard and your market is worth more than a cheap quote. The businesses listed above are a starting point, not a recommendation.
Which journeys need an authorisation and a certificate of competence?
The test is distance and duration. GOV.UK sets a Type 1 authorisation for journeys over 65 km and up to 8 hours, and a Type 2 for anything longer. Authorisations last up to 5 years. A certificate of competence is needed for road journeys over 65 km with cattle, sheep and other farmed species, and it is specific to the role, the journey length and the species. Drivers and attendants must carry copies and show them on request.
Under 65 km there is no authorisation or certificate, but whoever handles the animals must still be trained. Farmers get a narrower exemption: for a farmer moving their own animals in their own transport less than 50 km from the holding, only the general welfare conditions in Article 3 of Regulation (EC) No 1/2005 apply. The trap is the gap between 50 and 65 km: no authorisation is needed there, but check the current GOV.UK guidance on what else applies. Journey logs mostly concern long journeys to, from or through Great Britain. If in doubt, check the current GOV.UK guidance.
Which animals can go on the lorry?
Fitness to travel is a legal test, not a judgement call to leave to the driver. Under Annex I of Regulation (EC) No 1/2005, an animal is not fit if it cannot walk unassisted without pain, has a severe open wound or prolapse, is a female at 90% or more of gestation, or calved or lambed in the previous week. Newborns with an unhealed navel are unfit, and so are calves under ten days and lambs under one week, unless the journey is under 100 km. I would not book a lorry for any animal I was hesitating over.
On cleaning, ask the haulier how they clean and disinfect between loads, and treat your own trailer the same way. A dirty lorry is how disease moves between holdings, and a buyer or assurance scheme may ask.
Does the haulier report the movement, or do I?
You do. GOV.UK says hauliers and transporters do not have to report movements, though they keep their own transport records and pass on any remaining copies of the LIS-1 movement document to the destination keeper. For cattle, you or your registered agent must report the movement to BCMS within 3 days. A market or slaughterhouse may report for you, but you stay responsible, so ask them whether they have. Our cattle 3-day reporting guide covers what each nation uses.
With sheep, each keeper does their own half: in England the receiving keeper reports within 3 days of arrival and the seller cannot do it for them, as our sheep movement reporting guide explains. Every move also goes in your holding register within 36 hours, with the haulier's name and vehicle registration on sheep off-movements.
What should I sort out before I book the lorry?
Two checks stop a wasted booking. First, TB. In England cattle must test negative within the 60 days before they move unless exempt, for example calves under 42 days or herds on four-yearly testing. The keeper arranges and pays, so book your vet early; our farm animal vets directory helps you find a TB-testing practice. The full rules are in our bovine TB testing and movement guide.
Second, standstill. If you have brought cattle, sheep or goats onto the holding, you must not move animals off for 6 days in England, with direct-to-slaughter moves exempt. Scotland is stricter at 13 days. Have passports ready too; the 27-day passport guide covers the deadline. If the destination is a sale, see our livestock markets directory.
What do farmers actually ask?
Do I need a transporter authorisation to take my own stock to market?
Not if you move your own animals in your own vehicle less than 50 km from your holding: only the general welfare conditions in Article 3 of Regulation (EC) No 1/2005 apply. Over 65 km you need a transporter authorisation and a certificate of competence. Between 50 and 65 km, check GOV.UK's transport guidance before you load.
How long must transport paperwork be kept?
GOV.UK says a copy of the animal transport certificate must be kept at least 6 months from the end of the journey, and navigation system records at least 3 years where one is required. Your own records run longer: sheep movement documents 3 years from arrival, and the cattle holding register 10 years from 31 December of the year of the last entry.
Can I send a newborn calf or lamb on a haulier's lorry?
Rarely. Under Regulation (EC) No 1/2005, animals with an unhealed navel are unfit to travel, and calves under ten days and lambs under one week are unfit unless the journey is under 100 km. Females that gave birth in the previous week are also unfit. Ask your vet if unsure.
What if my haulier forgets to tell anyone about the move?
The haulier has no duty to report it, so the keeper or a registered agent does, depending on species and nation. In England cattle moves must reach BCMS within 3 days; see our cattle movement deadline guide. A late report is still better than none.
Which livestock hauliers cover my region?
This page groups hauliers by region: UK-wide, Scotland, Wales, Northern Ireland, the North of England, the Midlands and Welsh border, the East, the South West and the South East. Each states its own area on its website, and many say they travel UK-wide, so ring two and ask for a price for your journey. Your local mart can also tell you which lorries it uses most.
Sources
- GOV.UK: Animal welfare in transport
- GOV.UK: Transporting animals in Great Britain
- Regulation (EC) No 1/2005, Annex I (fitness for transport), legislation.gov.uk
- GOV.UK: Moving sheep and goats, what keepers need to know
- GOV.UK: Report and record cattle movements
- GOV.UK: Bovine TB pre-movement and post-movement testing