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FAS technical advice line: 03000 200 301
- Key dates to be aware of…
- How can we help you?
- Catchment Sensitive Farming (CSF) advice on better slurry management
- CSF Events in February & March
- Livestock Movements
- Nitrate Vulnerable Zone (NVZ) closed period reminders
- Environment Agency Case Study - Working together to mitigate the risks of agricultural diffuse pollution in East Anglia
- Big Farmland Bird Count 2025: 7-23 February – listen to our latest podcast with the RSPB
- Upper & Bedford Ouse Catchment Partnership - Farm Business Resilience Event 2025
- Trees on farm – Support available for integrating Agroforestry with traditional farming
- Proposed changes to future irrigation prospects reports
- Updates from the Defra Farming blog and industry announcements
- Stay up to date with us
For any land located in a Nitrate Vulnerable Zone (NVZ), you can, from this date, apply organic manure with a high, readily available nitrogen content (for example, slurry, poultry manures or liquid digested sewage sludge) to grassland and tillage land on all soil types if conditions are suitable and you adhere to the quantity restrictions for applying these manures. This is also subject to complying with the Farming Rules for Water and there being agronomic justification for applying manure. (NVZ Guidance)
For any land located in an NVZ, this date is the end for quantity restrictions for applying organic manures with a high, readily available nitrogen content. This is subject to compliance with the Farming Rules for Water and there is agronomic justification. (NVZ Guidance)
In case you missed them...
For any land located in a Nitrate Vulnerable Zone (NVZ), this is the date from which you can apply manufactured nitrogen fertilisers to grassland and tillage land if conditions are suitable. This is subject to compliance with the Farming Rules for Water and there is agronomic justification. (NVZ Guidance)
For any land located in a Nitrate Vulnerable Zone (NVZ), from this date you can apply organic manure with a high, readily available nitrogen content (for example, slurry, poultry manures or liquid digested sewage sludge) to grassland and tillage land on shallow or sandy soils if conditions are suitable and you adhere to the quantity restrictions for applying these manures. This is also subject to compliance with the Farming Rules for Water and there is agronomic justification. (NVZ Guidance)
For any land located in an NVZ, this is the beginning of the year for assessing the annual amount of livestock manure applied to your land. (NVZ Guidance)
For more details about the information provided in the key dates table, visit the Rules for Farmers and Land Managers and the relevant pages of GOV.UK.
Key Dates for Annual Declaration Submission
To assist Sustainable Farming Incentive (SFI) agreement holders, the Rural Payments Agency (RPA) has outlined the opening and closing dates for the annual declaration submission based on the start date of the agreement:
| Agreement start date | Declaration period opens | Declaration period closes |
|---|---|---|
| 1 February 2024 | 1 December 2024 | 31 January 2025 |
| 1 March 2024 | 1 January 2025 | 28 February 2025 |
| 1 April 2024 | 1 February 2025 | 31 March 2025 |
| 1 May 2024 | 1 March 2025 | 30 April 2025 |
| 1 June 2024 | 1 April 2025 | 31 May 2025 |
| 1 July 2024 | 1 May 2025 | 30 June 2025 |
| 1 August 2024 | 1 June 2025 | 31 July 2025 |
| 1 September 2024 | 1 July 2025 | 31 August 2025 |
| 1 October 2024 | 1 August 2025 | 30 September 2025 |
| 1 November 2024 | 1 September 2025 | 31 October 2025 |
| 1 December 2024 | 1 October 2025 | 30 November 2025 |
Free and confidential advice
The FAS is funded by the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs (Defra). We provide free, confidential advice to help farmers and land managers in England understand and meet the legal requirements in English law around certain farming activities to protect people, livestock and the environment. We update the farming sector on relevant government farming policy that is applicable in England and on the actions that can be taken to help farmers comply with the relevant regulations.
Our website hosts our previous newsletters, technical resources and webinars covering various topics in more detail.
Contacting the advice line:
Farmers requiring telephone advice can contact the FAS technical advice line on 03000 200 301, Monday to Friday, between 08:30 and 17:00. The Rural Services Helpline provides a single number for all FAS, Rural Payments Agency (RPA), Animal and Plant Health Agency, Natural England and forestry enquiries.
You can also email enquiries to advice@farmingadviceservice.org.uk. Our helpline team aims to respond to all telephone and email enquiries within one working day.
You can now speak to our helpline team through the new online chat function on the farmingadviceservice.org.uk website.
The advice given to individual farmers is confidential – we do not disclose any personal or individual information or data obtained during advisory activities.
Catchment Sensitive Farming (CSF) advice on better slurry management
Good slurry management can improve farm efficiency and reduce impacts on the local environment.
If you are interested in improving slurry management on your farm, please contact your local Catchment Sensitive Farming Adviser (CSFA), by 14 February 2025, who can offer you advice alongside a SIG application. Please be aware this will be on a first come, first serve basis, as there are limited spaces for this support. CSF may offer you a free advice visit or signpost to other help available locally. This advice is optional, and not a condition for securing the grant. CSFAs are available to provide support for farmers and land managers to improve the quality of air, water and flood management through the Agricultural Transition. Find contact details for your local CSFA here.
Catchment Sensitive Farming – Free Advice Events in February & March 2025
| Event Title | Location | Date | Time |
| CSF East Mids - Arable Hub (am) | Woodborough Park Farm, Georges Lane, Nottingham NG5 8PX | 5 February | 10:00 – 12:30 (GMT) |
| CSF South East - Farming Roadshow: Support and Funding | Woodchurch Memorial Hall, The Green, Woodchurch, TN26 3PF | 7 Feb | 09:30 – 12:00 (GMT) |
| CSF South East - Farming Roadshow: Support and Funding | Dial Post Village Hall, Worthing Road, Dial Post, RH13 8NH | 10 Feb | 13:30 – 17:00 (GMT) |
| Surrey County Council Farmer Event | Bysshe Court Farm, Chithurst Lane, Horne, Surrey, RH6 9JU | 19 Feb | 09:00 – 12:30 (GMT) |
| CSF South East - Farming Roadshow: Support and Funding | Bore Place, Bore Place Road, Chiddingstone, TN8 7AR | 20 Feb | 09:30 – 12:30 (GMT) |
| CSF South East - Farming Roadshow: Support and Funding | Brogdale Farm, Brogdale Road, Faversham, ME13 8XZ | 26 Feb | 09:30 – 12:30 (GMT) |
| CSF East Mids - Arable Hub (am) | Woodborough Park Farm, Georges Lane, Nottingham NG5 8PX | 5 March | 10:00 – 12:30 (GMT) |
| CSF East Mids - Arable Hub (pm) | Woodborough Park Farm, Georges Lane, Nottingham NG5 8PX | 5 March | 13:30 – 16:00 (GMT) |
Digital Movement Reporting
The Livestock Information Service (LIS) aims to enhance the traceability of sheep, goats, and deer in England by encouraging keepers to report their moves online via the LIS digital platform. LIS was designed with the assistance of sheep farmers, and it is free for users. All that is needed to register for a LIS account is an email address and a County Parish Holding (CPH) number.
If you would like to learn more about the benefits of using LIS, please watch the video in this article which has been provided by Livestock Information Limited (LI Ltd) on ‘The Importance of Digital Reporting’.
LI Ltd will soon be releasing LIS video tutorials, including a simple step-by-step guide on how to record sheep, goat and deer movements online. Eventually LIS will be used by keepers to report moves of all livestock species in England.
Registering Livestock on Temporary Land
If you keep livestock (cattle, sheep, pigs, goats, or deer), you must register where you keep your animals, even when they are kept somewhere temporarily. This helps traceability and the control of disease outbreaks.
If you plan to keep your animals on someone else’s land for less than a year, or in their buildings, you must apply to APHA for either:
- a temporary land association (TLA) if the land or buildings are within ten miles of the main area you keep livestock (your permanent CPH),
- or a temporary CPH (tCPH) if the land or buildings are more than ten miles from the main area you keep livestock (your permanent CPH).
Note: You cannot apply for a tCPH or TLA if your livestock will mix with someone else’s livestock at that location. You will both need to report livestock movements and record them in your holding registers.
For further details please visit GOV.UK.
Nitrate Vulnerable Zone (NVZ) open / closed period reminders
This article provides reminders on the closed periods for spreading organic manure and manufactured fertiliser in an NVZ.
There are established closed periods for NVZs that apply to certain types of organic manure (those with more than 30% readily available nitrogen, such as poultry manure and liquid organic manure) and manufactured fertilisers. If any of your land is located within an NVZ, you must not spread during the dates shown in Table 1 and Table 2 (all dates are inclusive).
There are some exceptions to the rules for the closed periods. For more information, please visit GOV.UK.
Check if your land is in an NVZ
Use the interactive map to find out if your land is in an NVZ.
Please remember that, regardless of the NVZ closed periods, the Farming Rules for Water require all farmers (whether they have land located in an NVZ or not) to plan applications of organic manures or manufactured fertilisers. This is so that applications do not exceed the needs of the soil or crop, or give rise to a significant risk of diffuse pollution.
Table 1: Closed periods for organic manure
| Grassland | Tillage land | |
|---|---|---|
| Sandy or shallow soils | 1 September to 31 December | 1 August to 31 December |
| All other soils | 15 October to 31 January | 1 October to 31 January |
Table 2: Closed periods for manufactured fertiliser
| Grassland | Tillage land |
|---|---|
| 15 September to 15 January | 1 September to 15 January |
If you have any questions or require further support, please contact the FAS helpline (03000 200 301) or email advice@farmingadviceservice.org.uk.
Agriculture regulation guide booklet
The Environment Agency (EA) has introduced a new regulatory guide for farmers, titled Harvesting Success, which is available free of charge. This guide comprehensively covers all aspects of agricultural regulations and best practices for water quality. It is the first resource to consolidate regulations and guidance for Farming Rules for Water, the Silage, Slurry and Fuel Oil Regulations, and Nitrate Vulnerable Zones in England into one convenient reference. Additionally, it offers a wealth of information on good agricultural practices to help farmers and land managers remain compliant.
A digital copy is available on the FAS website or you can order a hard copy through the Environment Agency’s national customer contact centre by email or telephone: enquiries@environment-agency.gov.uk, Tel. 03708 506 506.
At an arable farm in Suffolk, the Environment Agency (EA) undertook a regulatory inspection as part of a local water-quality campaign centred on nitrate risk. This was partly because the sloping site appeared to present a higher risk of agricultural run-off polluting watercourses.
The farm operates in an area of sandy-loam soils in Suffolk where crop rotations typically include potatoes, sugar beet and outdoor pigs. The holding is managed under a Contract Farming Agreement, with part of the land and premises let on licence to a commercial pig producer, which operates both a production unit and a fattening unit.
The EA inspection included a thorough walkover of the landholding and an assessment of compliance with the Farming Rules for Water, Nitrate Vulnerable Zone (NVZ) Regulations, and silage, slurry and agricultural fuel oil (SSAFO) Regulations. The inspection also took account of the land and premises let on licence to the commercial pig producer.
How the landowner, the arable farmer and the pig producer worked together to look after the land
The inspector found that the farm was a great example of a landowner, arable contractor and a pig producer working together, sustainably and profitably, to proactively reduce the risk of agricultural diffuse pollution. Data was shared regularly about pig stocking densities and manure analysis to allow accurate nutrient-management planning for the subsequent cropping. Collaboration happened well in advance to ensure that fields had been thoroughly prepared for pigs – this included experimenting with seed mixes, to try to identify the most resilient swards.
Additional good practice found on the farm included:
- A written licence agreement to ensure clarity and accountability between the farmer and landowner (specific to the letting for outdoor pigs), plus a written pre-stocking assessment of pollution risk.
- A focus on long-term fixes, such as relocation of gateways to high points in fields (to reduce soil erosion risk) and completion of major improvements to roadside drainage, tracks and accesses, funded partially by Countryside Stewardship RP1 (resurfacing of gateways) and RP2 (gateway relocation) capital grants.
- Routine sampling of both soil and the pig FYM, with this data accounted for in ongoing nutrient planning.
- Seeking input from a FACTS-registered adviser.
The key to the success of this commercial arrangement is regular dialogue and flow of information between the parties, as well as thorough planning and a shared objective of pursuing best practice in parallel with profit. By maintaining this approach, the landowner, the arable contractor, and the pig producer each play a role in reducing the risk of diffuse pollution from the pig operation.
Big Farmland Bird Count 2025: 7-23 February – listen to our latest podcast with the RSPB
The Big Farmland Bird Count is an annual event that encourages farmers and land managers to record the bird species and numbers on their farms. The count aims to raise awareness of the important role that they play in helping our farmland birds, and to measure the impact of the conservation work that many farms and estates carry out.
On Thursday 6 February (3:00pm – 7:30PM) the Upper & Bedford Ouse Catchment Partnership will be hosting their 2025 Farm Business Resilience event at The Collaboration Centre, Colworth Science Park, Colworth Road, Sharnbrook, MK44 1ET.
The event will cover topics that have been selected in collaboration with local farmers and land managers, and speakers will focus on systems that can support farming to be better placed to respond to markets and environmental challenges.
There will be trade stands to view from 3pm and during breaks, including AHDB, Environment Agency, Indigro, Oakbank, Ecology Lab, Forestry Commission, Catchment Sensitive Farming, Anglian Water, Soil Benchmark and more. Coffee will be available from 3:15pm and presentations will start at 4pm, followed by a cooked meal at 7:30pm.
Speakers will be:
• Toby Simpson
Catch and cover cropping opportunities in UK arable agriculture.
• Harry Molton
Maximising nitrogen-use efficiency and reducing inputs; results from local farm trials.
• Mike Purnell
Integrated approaches for water management at Whitbread Farms.
• Daniel Tyrkiel
The role of soil microbiomes for soil and crop health.
• Tom Scrope
A ‘How-to guide’ to access government funding through AI-driven Soil Management Plans.
To book your FREE place, please click here.
Please also indicate if you have any special dietary requirements. If you are unable to book via Eventbrite, please book by emailing cliff.andrews@bedsrcc.org.uk.
David Rose of FarmEco in Nottinghamshire has introduced agroforestry alongside his traditional arable rotation and livestock. He has worked with LEAF (Linking Environment and Farming) and his local advisers from Catchment Sensitive Farming. In this video they explain the benefits trees can bring to farm businesses:
- Reduce run-off – Trees break up run-off pathways and help stop erosion
- Diversify crops – Growing fruits, nuts, and timber diversifies a farm business
- Add shelter – Trees shelter livestock from sun and severe weather
- Increase biodiversity – Attracting natural predators can reduce crop pests
- Capture emissions – Trees absorb carbon and capture ammonia from livestock
- Buffer water – Trees along watercourses capture soil and nutrients
Who can help?
There is a range of government funding, support and advice available when considering adding trees to your farm. Contact the right adviser for your business and project:
Catchment Sensitive Farming (CSF)
Supporting you to maximise healthy water, air and soils and to reduce flood risk
- Tailored advice to benefit both your business and the environment
- Advice on grants and schemes available for your farm
To find your local Catchment Sensitive Farming team, visit farmingadviceservice.org.uk/csf/get-in-touch
Forestry Commission
- Information and support about grants
- Expert advice on woodlands
To find your local Woodland Creation team, visit gov.uk/forestry/contact
Natural England
- Connecting woody habitats at a landscape scale
- Existing environmental interest and restoration potential
- Using natural processes to increase tree canopy cover
To get in touch with your local Tree Action Plan Delivery (TAP-D) adviser, contact woodlandcreation@naturalengland.org.uk
To find out more about adding trees and woodland to your farm business, visit www.farmingadviceservice.org.uk/csf/resources/treesEditor note: the above link is not yet active, but will include various trees and woodland resources from CSF, NE, and FC.
For those in the South East, please come along to our free ‘Farming Roadshow: Support and Funding’ workshops throughout February – hosted by your local advisers from Catchment Sensitive Farming, Forestry Commission and Natural England. Book your tickets on Eventbrite
The Environment Agency (EA) will be publishing their initial prospects for irrigation forecasts for 2025 on the technical articles section of the FAS website at the end of February. With the generally wet conditions that have prevailed so far this winter, initial prospects are currently anticipated to be positive, reflecting ongoing refill of farm storage reservoirs and recharging of groundwater.
Following feedback from the agriculture community, the EA will be changing how the report is structured starting this year.
The EA will be taking a more risk-based approach when producing irrigation prospect reports. The reports reflect the water situation using current river flows, groundwater levels, weather forecasts and Met Office seasonal outlooks. They will take into account the water resources position over the winter period, to determine the level of detail to include in the reports. For this spring’s initial irrigation report, as the water resources position is currently generally in a healthy position, the EA will provide a more concise summary report. This report will include a national summary of the water resources situation and the irrigation prospect forecast status for each EA area, such as Good, Moderate or Poor. They will not include a full detailed area forecast for the initial prospects report. The updated irrigation prospect report published at the end of April will continue to have the full detailed EA area forecast information.
In future years if England experiences a dry winter and water resources are below average, the EA will include the more detailed area irrigation forecast in the initial prospects report for February. This will give you more information on the level of risk and possible actions to take safeguard water supplies. However, if the winter is wet or average, the EA will continue publishing just the summary report. They will continue to update the report with more detailed information at the end of April.
The EA is hopeful that these changes will provide a clearer and more risk-based approach to farmers and growers understanding the irrigation forecast and potential impacts on water supplies.
Two Part Tariff
If you hold a water abstraction licence and the EA has agreed to a Two Part Tariff (TPT) annual charge arrangement, you can expect to receive your 2022/2023 and/or 2023/2024 second part charge between now and the end of March 2025. The 2022/2023 and 2023/2024 second part charges are being invoiced later than usual.
A move to a new billing IT platform and ongoing implementation of the EA’s charges scheme has delayed second part charge billing for the last two years. If you hold a TPT charge arrangement your annual charge is split into a first part charge and a second part charge. The first part charge is 50% of the annual calculated charge and is invoiced by the EA at the time of billing (usually April/May each year).
The second part charge, up to 50% of the annual calculated charge, is calculated based on the quantity of water you reported as abstracted (your ‘abstraction return’) to the EA. If you did not submit a return the second part charge is calculated based on the authorised quantity specified by your licence and the remaining 50% of the full annual charge will be payable even if you didn’t abstract any water (a nil return can be reported to the Environment Agency when returns are requested).
A TPT charge arrangement can, subject to agreement by the EA, be applied to licences authorising abstraction for spray or trickle irrigation. The EA plan to invoice 2024/2025 second part charges in late summer/early autumn 2025. The 2025/2026 first part charge will be invoiced at the time of 2025/2026 annual billing in April/May 2025.
Defra regularly updates the Farming blog. Please subscribe to the blog to ensure you receive all the latest news.
Avian Influenza Prevention Zone declared for whole of England - enhanced biosecurity essential
On 25 January, the UK Chief Veterinary Officer declared a new Avian Influenza Prevention Zone (AIPZ) to cover the whole of England, following the escalating number of cases of avian influenza and continuing heightened risk levels in wild birds.
This requires bird keepers to conduct enhanced biosecurity to mitigate the risk of further outbreaks of the disease.
A housing order has also been extended in the north of England to now cover York and North Yorkshire, and a new housing order has been introduced for Shropshire.
A housing order remains in force across East Riding of Yorkshire, City of Kingston Upon Hull, Lincolnshire, Norfolk, Suffolk. Areas with housing orders require the highest standards of biosecurity.
Poultry keepers are advised to consult the Interactive Map to check if they are impacted and should then read the relevant AIPZ declaration– depending on whether their area is with or without housing measures
Good biosecurity is the most effective way to protect poultry flocks and the profitability of businesses. This includes measures such as cleansing and disinfect clothing, footwear, equipment and vehicles before and after contact with poultry and captive birds– if practical, use disposable protective clothing.
Further information on the latest situation is available on GOV.UK, as well as guidance to help bird keepers prevent Avian influenza.
Oxford Farming Conference 2025: Government announces reforms to boost profits for farmers with a cast iron commitment to food production
On Thursday 9 January, Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs Steve Reed set out the Government’s long-term vision to make farming more profitable and put more money back in the pockets of British farmers, while speaking at the Oxford Farming Conference.
As part of the Plan for Change, the Secretary of State announced a series of reforms, to boost profits for farmers with a commitment to food production and delivering on the Government’s New Deal for Farmers.
To read about these reforms, please read the press notice at GOV.UK. You can also read the full speech on GOV.UK.
£15 million government fund to help charities get surplus food to those in need (England only)
A new £15 million government fund will mean that thousands of tonnes of food that might otherwise go to waste will be delivered to those who need it most.
To strengthen the links between farms and charities and help solve the problem of farm food waste, a new scheme will see grants starting from £20,000 made available to the not-for-profit food redistribution sector in England.
It will:
- reduce the costs farmers face when dealing with food waste
- increase the capacity and capability of the redistribution sector to take on farm surplus
- help the charitable sector work more closely with farmers, helping to find new opportunities to get their produce to those most in need within communities.
Information on when the fund opens and full eligibility criteria for applications to be confirmed
Defra is seeking input from cattle farmers in bid for ‘negligible risk’ BSE disease status
Defra are inviting all cattle farmers to participate in a short survey about cattle farming practices. This data will enable Defra’s application for BSE negligible risk status, as recognised by the World Organisation for Animal Health. Achieving this status will support cattle farmers by helping to facilitate international trade in British beef and feed products.
Defra need to assess what types of feed storage units are in use on cattle farms and how old they are. They would like responses from as many farmers as possible so that they get a good understanding of the situation of the whole cattle farm population. The survey has been open since 2022, so if you have already submitted one, there is no need to do so again. If you have not yet done so, Defra would like to hear from you
It consists of 7 short questions and should not take more than 10 minutes to complete. Participation is voluntary and all information provided is subject to data protection legislation.
Find out more and complete the survey. The survey is also available in a Welsh language version.
Often referred to as ‘mad cow disease’, bovine spongiform encephalopathy (BSE) is a notifiable disease. Livestock keepers are legally required to report suspicion of disease for any animal in your care. Keepers should remain vigilant for clinical signs of the disease – read more about how to spot them.
Countryside Stewardship Higher Tier
On 10 December the Government published new Countryside Stewardship Higher Tier (CSHT) guidance on GOV.UK. This includes details of 132 land management actions, and 145 capital items, 25 of which are new.
An additional 6 capital items are available to support the preparation of plans for CSHT applications.
The Government are currently offering pre-application advice to certain groups on a rolling monthly basis.
Natural England and the Forestry Commission will work with those farmers and land managers to prepare to apply.
As with other schemes, they are rolling out CSHT in a controlled way so they can ensure everyone gets the support they need.
The scheme will open for applications in summer to those who have been through the pre-application process.
On Wednesday 8 January, Defra hosted a webinar covering the CSHT guidance and the process of working through the pre-application process with Natural England and the Forestry Commission.
The session includes a Q&A section with the Defra Group, including representatives from Defra, Natural England (NE), Forestry Commission (FC), Rural Payments Agency (RPA), Historic England (HE) and the Environmental Agency (EA), answering questions from attendees.
The recording of that session is now available to watch back in full. You can find the link at the bottom of the CSHT blog post. A follow up blog covering the summarised content of the webinar and frequently asked questions the Defra farming blog.
Rural Payments Agency Blog
To stay up to date with the latest information and updates from the Rural Payments Agency (RPA), sign up to the RPA Blog. You can also listen to the RPA Podcast, which has been launched to help farmers, landowners and rural communities keep up to date with the latest news from the RPA. You can also follow the RPA on social media:
- X @ruralpay
- Facebook: facebook.com/RuralPaymentsAgency
- YouTube: Rural Payments Agency
- Instagram: ruralpay
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