Animal stables
Are you going to build or rebuild a stable? You may need to apply for a preliminary inspection. The County Administrative Board then examines your planned construction to see if it meets the requirements for animal welfare and animal husbandry.
Are you going to build or rebuild a stable?
When you are going to build or rebuild a stable, it may need to be approved before the work begins. The preliminary inspection ensures that the building plans meet the requirements for how animals may be housed.
You may need to apply for a preliminary inspection if you are going to:
- build, rebuild or enlarge a stable or other housing area for animals;
- use a space for livestock that has previously been used for another purpose;
- set up an enclosure.
You must apply for a preliminary inspection if the number of animals on the property after construction reaches at least:
- 20 cattle
- 15 adult pigs
- 150 growing pigs
- 20 adult sheep
- 40 lambs
- 500 poultry other than ratites
- 5 horses
- 20 adult minks
- 150 growing minks.
More animals and exceptions can be found in the regulations on the Swedish Board of Agriculture’s website.
The e-services and forms of the County Administrative Board in this field are not available in English. If you wish to submit an application or notification, you may contact the County Administrative Board, which can inform you how to proceed.
What does a preliminary inspection involve?
The County Administrative Board examines your planned construction based on the Animal Welfare Act, the Animal Welfare Ordinance and the Swedish Board of Agriculture’s regulations on animal husbandry. The preliminary inspection is an important part of animal welfare and animal health work in Sweden and is designed to ensure that spaces for animals are built properly.
Among other things, we review:
- dimensions and space;
- equipment, resting areas and cleaning systems;
- deeding and drinking water facilities;
- climate, climate regulation and air quality;
- fire protection;
- amount of daylight and lighting;
- communicable disease control.
Apply for a preliminary inspection
You apply by completing the Swedish Board of Agriculture’s preliminary inspection form and then sending it to the County Administrative Board.
What happens after I apply for a preliminary inspection?
After the application has been received by the County Administrative Board, you will receive confirmation that the application has been received. In this connection, any additional information will also be requested. If the application is not complete, we may reject the case.
Once your application is complete, you will receive a decision from the County Administrative Board within 8 weeks. If your application has been approved, you can then start building. The construction project must be completed no later than 3 years after the application is approved.
Final inspection
When construction is complete, you must notify the County Administrative Board. The County Administrative Board will inspect and check that you have complied with the preliminary inspection.
Prior notification
In some cases, you do not need to apply for a preliminary inspection, and prior notification is sufficient. Prior notification can be used in two situations:
- if you are going to make a minor addition or alteration to a stable that has already been pre-inspected; or
- if you are going to take a measure that is necessary to comply with the Swedish Board of Agriculture’s decision in the event of an outbreak of a communicable animal disease.
You give prior notification by completing the Swedish Board of Agriculture’s form and sending it to the County Administrative Board.
If you are unsure whether you have the right to give prior notification, you can contact the County Administrative Board for more information.
Criteria for prior notification for minor additions or alterations:
- The relevant stable section in which the measure is to be implemented must be pre-inspected and approved by the County Administrative Board.
- The stable section that now exists must not have been altered after the latest decision during the preliminary inspection.
- The new construction may only affect the animal category that already exists in the stable section.
- The number of new animal places may only correspond to a maximum of 20 per cent of the total number of places in the stable section.
- The interior system must be the same as in the existing stable section.
What happens after I apply for prior notification?
If your prior notification is complete, you will receive confirmation from the County Administrative Board and can then start building immediately.
The County Administrative Board does not carry out inspections in cases of prior notification, so you can start using the animal space as soon as it is ready. This means that you have a responsibility to ensure that the space complies with the regulations that exist for animal welfare.
If the space does not comply with the regulations, we may require you to rectify the deficiencies or prohibit animal husbandry in the space.
Supplementary inspection
If you build a stable that requires a preliminary inspection without having applied for this, the County Administrative Board will prohibit you from keeping animals in the space. You may also have to pay a fee of SEK 12 000 if it is a minor measure or SEK 24 000 if it is a major measure.
If the stable still meets the requirements, it can be approved afterwards through a supplementary inspection.