Grass letting - comply with the rules

With the start of the new letting season, perhaps now is the time to think of all the legislation that needs to be complied with.

This may be in connection with the Animal Movement Regulations, and the desire to set up a BCMS link between the let land and the main holding to ease the record keeping for the business, or it may be to do with setting up a Sole Occupancy Authority (SOA) where outside assessment from a veterinary surgeon is required.

As ever the movement and testing requirements of the TB Regulations should be borne in mind, particularly if whole holdings are being rented in, even on a temporary basis.

The definition of animal keeper remains the same, along with the responsibilities to comply with animal tagging requirements and the need to comply with the new Sheep Identification and Tagging Regulations.

With the change in ruling by DEFRA and the RPA there is no need to occupy the land for a continuous ten month period in order to claim Single Farm Payments (SFP).

Subtle changes regarding who needs to meet Cross Compliance Regulations will place greater emphasis on clearly documenting who is responsible for the various requirements of the Regulations within any grazing or letting agreement.

The RPA will always look towards the claimant of the SFP if Cross Compliance Regulations are broken. Seeking professional advice and guidance can help in understanding the complexity of these regulations and requirements.

If you would like to discuss any of the above in greater detail then contact Sarah Cattanach on 01228 640920.

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