Premises Identification became mandatory in Alberta on January 1, 2009 under Alberta's Animal Health Act.
Premises Identification (PID), one of the pillars of traceability, links livestock and poultry to land locations or premises. Alberta’s PID Program was established to plan for, control, and prevent the spread of animal diseases. It is also used as an early warning system to notify animal owners of a natural disaster such as a flood or fire that could affect their animals or operations.
What is Premises Identification (PID)?
Premises Identification (PID) plays a key role in managing animal health and safety. It helps track, control, and prevent the spread of livestock and poultry diseases, and serves as an early alert system during animal disease outbreaks or natural disasters like floods or fires.
Having accurate animal locations, contact information and other key data in one system is critical for a quick and effective emergency response.
PID links livestock and poultry to a geographical location or premises. A PID number is a nine character unique identifier (in Alberta, a PID number starts with ‘AA’, ‘AB’, or ‘AT’) assigned to a specific premises when the geographical location is registered in a PID account.
Sheep Owners Require a PID Number to:
- Buy medication for their animals at retail outlets/veterinary clinics
- Complete documents such as manifests and permits
- Sell livestock at auction markets
- Buy Canadian Sheep Identification Program (CSIP) ear tags
- Apply for some government agriculture grants and programs
The proposed amendments to Part XV of the Federal Health of Animals Regulations require providing the PID number for both the site of departure and site of destination when transporting livestock. These requirements are now in effect as of 2025.
Obtain a PID account if you are in care and control of livestock and/or poultry.
Keep Your PID Information Current
Effective emergency response and animal protection rely on accurate information. Please update your PID account promptly with any changes—such as contact details, animal types, capacity—or if you no longer have livestock on your premises. Outdated or incorrect information can delay notifications and lead to inappropriate responses, putting animals at risk during emergencies.
To review/update your PID information, to create a new PID account or to simply learn more about Premise Identification:
- Visit agriculture.alberta.ca/premises
- Call 310-FARM (3276)
Your information is protected under the Freedom of Information and Protection of Privacy Act (FOIP Act) and the Animal Health Act (AHA).