Thank you for continuing to subscribe to our monthly newsletter. As you can see the format of the newsletter has changed, along with the refresh of the FAS website. We hope you continue to find the content useful and we welcome any feedback or suggestions on topics that you would like to see covered in future editions of the newsletter.
FAS technical advice line: 03000 200 301
- Key dates to be aware of…
- How can we help you?
- FCN provide training to FAS helpline team
- Catchment Sensitive Farming joins FAS
- How FAS and Catchment Sensitive Farming can support your farm business - new webinar
- Right to work – Guidance from the Home Office
- Farming Resilience Fund closes soon – See what’s available
- A reminder from the Environment Agency for farmers to start preparations for winter slurry storage
- Trees on farm: Update on changes to the England Woodland Creation Offer & New TreeAlert dashboard
- Updates from the Farming blog and industry announcements
- Stay up to date with us
New rules make it a legal requirement for everyone in Great Britain who keeps birds to register with the Animal and Plant Health Agency (APHA), regardless of the size of their flock, even if the birds are kept as pets. Keepers must register by 1 October 2024. Register as a keeper of less than 50 birds on GOV.UK.
You can burn heather, rough grass, bracken, gorse or vaccinium on land in upland areas from this date. (GOV.UK)
For any land located in a Nitrate Vulnerable Zone (NVZ), this is the start of the closed period for applying organic manure with a high readily available nitrogen content (for example, slurry, poultry manures or liquid digested sewage sludge) to tillage land on soils which are not shallow or sandy. (GOV.UK)
For any land located in a NVZ, this is the start of the closed period for applying organic manure with a high readily available nitrogen content (for example, slurry, poultry manures or liquid digested sewage sludge) to grassland on soils which are not shallow or sandy. (GOV.UK)
In case you missed them...
New hedgerow management rules came into force in May 2024. As part of this, the hedgerow management rules on cutting and trimming, announced that hedgerows covered by the rules must not be cut or trimmed until after 31 August 2024 unless an exemption applies
For any land located in a Nitrate Vulnerable Zone (NVZ), this is the start of the closed period for applying organic manure with a high readily available nitrogen content (for example, slurry, poultry manures or liquid digested sewage sludge) to grassland on shallow or sandy soils. GOV.UK
For any land located in an NVZ, this is the start of the closed period for applying manufactured nitrogen fertilisers to tillage land. GOV.UK
For any land located in an NVZ, this is the start of the closed period for applying manufactured nitrogen fertilisers to grassland. GOV.UK
For any land located in an NVZ, this is the start of the closed period for applying organic manure with a high readily available nitrogen content (for example, slurry, poultry manures or liquid digested sewage sludge) to tillage land on shallow or sandy soils that have been sown with crops on or before 15 September.GOV.UK
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
Upcoming Grant Deadlines
| 31 October | Invited applicants have until 11.59pm on 31 October 2024 to submit their full application for the Water Management grant (round 2) |
From 3 January 2024 the following grants opened for application
• Capital Grants 2024
• Higher Tier Capital Grants 2024
• Protection and Infrastructure Grants 2024
• Woodland Management Plan (WMP) Grants 2024
• Woodland Tree Health (WTH) Grants
• Implementation Plan Grant (PA1) or Feasibility Study Grant (PA2)
Key Dates for Annual Declaration Submission
To assist Sustainable Farming Incentive (SFI) agreement holders, the Rural Payments Agency (RPA) have 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 October 2023 | 1 August 2024 | 30 September 2024 |
| 1 November 2023 | 1 September 2024 | 31 October 2024 |
| 1 December 2023 | 1 October 2024 | 30 November 2024 |
| 1 January 2024 | 1 November 2024 | 31 December 2024 |
| 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 |
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 newsletter also provides articles on topics that are complementary to Farming Regulation, such as practices that benefit the wider environment and wellbeing support.
Our website hosts our previous newsletters, as well as technical articles and webinars that cover 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.
The advice given to individual farmers is confidential – we do not disclose any personal or individual information or data obtained during advisory activities.
You can also now speak to our helpline team through the new online chat function on the farmingadviceservice.org.uk website.
FCN provide training to FAS helpline team
The Farming Advice Service Helpline team recently participated in a comprehensive training day facilitated by the Farming Community Network (FCN). The training focused on wellbeing support for the agricultural community as well as strategies for tackling difficult conversations. This training enhanced the team’s ability to continue to provide empathetic and effective assistance to the rural community facing various challenges related to the changing agricultural landscape.
Where can you go for additional help and support?
FCN is a voluntary organisation and charity that supports farmers and families within the farming community through difficult times. They provide a variety of support services though their website, including telephone and email support:
- Helpline: 03000 111 999
- Email: help@fcn.org.uk
FCN recently compiled a resilience checklist which is free to download and may help farming families assess a number of areas that can lead to difficulties if left unaddressed. This checklist can be found on the FarmWell website along with additional farmer support services.
FAS has formed a new partnership with Catchment Sensitive Farming (CSF) to offer farmers advice and guidance through a single platform – now available online, by phone, and on the ground. Visit the new CSF section of the FAS website to find what support is available from your local team.
“89% of farmers said their local CSF adviser was a person whose advice they could trust”
(238 farmers surveyed by Ipsos in 2024)
Similar to FAS, all CSF advice is free to use, confidential and impartial. This new collaboration brings together the strengths of two respected organisations, enhancing Defra’s support to farmers through the agricultural transition and improving water, air and soil quality through locally tailored expertise.
Local CSF advisers can help with:
- Nutrient, slurry and manure management
- Soil health
- Pesticide handling
- Natural flood management
- Reducing ammonia emissions
- Sustainable water use
- Guidance on farming schemes and regulations.
The new website also has free resources, guidance, online mapping tools, and contact details for your local CSF team.
CSF local advisers also host free events, training and farm walks around the country. CSF bring in specialists, give on-farm demonstrations and help local farmers share knowledge. Visit the Events page to find what’s happening near you.
Bob Middleton, CSF Programme Manager, said: “We’re excited to collaborate with FAS on this new, comprehensive service and online hub dedicated to all aspects of farm advice. By working together, we aim to bring our goals of improving water, air, and soil quality to farmers across the country. We are confident this partnership will drive positive change for both farm businesses and the environment."
The Farming Advice Service and Catchment Sensitive Farming are joining together for a webinar to explain the new working partnership and how it will help farm businesses access guidance and navigate change.
The webinar will take place on 21 October 2024 1:00pm – 2:15pm.
The collaboration brings together the strengths of two respected organisations, enhancing the support available to help farmers understand rules and regulations, navigate Sustainable Farming Incentive (SFI) options and advance efforts to improve water, air, and soil quality through locally tailored expertise.
The event will provide examples of support offered by each team, as well as a Q&A session.
Right to work – Guidance from the Home Office
The Home Office has provided guidance which employers must follow when recruiting workers for their business, as well as information on where to get support and advice on completing right to work checks.
Why do we all need to prevent illegal working?
The ability to work illegally is a driver of illegal migration. It leaves people vulnerable to exploitation and results in unscrupulous employers undercutting compliant businesses. All employers in the UK have a responsibility to prevent illegal working. You do this by conducting simple right to work checks before you employ someone.
There are three ways to carry out a right to work check:
- A manual right to work check (all citizens)
- A right to work check using Identity Document Validation Technology (IDVT) via the services of an identity service provider (IDSP) (UK and Irish citizens)
- A Home Office online right to work check (non-UK and non-Irish citizens).
An employer of an illegal worker who has not carried out the correct checks faces a penalty of up to £60,000. It is a criminal offence to employ someone who the employer knows or has reasonable cause to believe is an illegal worker – employers can face an unlimited fine and up to five years in prison.
There are a range of tools available on GOV.UK to support you in conducting right to work checks:
- Right to work checks: an employer’s guide
- Checking a job applicant’s right to work
- Penalties for employing illegal workers.
If you need more help, you can also contact the Home Office's
Employer Enquiry helpline:
- Telephone: 0300 790 6268
- Monday to Thursday, 9am to 4.45pm
- Friday, 9am to 4.30pm
- Call charges and phone numbers - https://www.gov.uk/call-charges
If you wish to access Home Office online training on right to work checks, please contact the Immigration Enforcement Checking and Advice Service training team at IE-CAS@homeoffice.gov.uk.
Farming Resilience Fund closes soon – see what’s available
The Farming Resilience Fund (formerly known as the Future Farming Resilience Fund) is now in its final phase and will run until March 2025.
The Farming Resilience Fund is funded by Defra and is designed to provide free business support to farmers and land managers as part of the agricultural transition period. This support is provided by independent advisors from a number of different organisations.
Who is eligible?
The Farming Resilience Fund is available to farmers and land managers who are in receipt of the Basic Payment Scheme (BPS) and farmers who have a Higher-Level Stewardship (HLS) agreement but are not currently claiming BPS. To have an HLS agreement, farmers must have management control of the land in the agreement. Please note, farmers or land managers who have a Countryside Stewardship agreement but do not claim BPS are not eligible for support.
Type of support?
The support and discussion between farmers/land managers and the advice provider are confidential. They could involve:
- Understanding the changes brought about by the agricultural transition, including the impact of basic payments reductions;
- Pinpointing what and when changes may be needed in business models; and/or
- Tailored adaptation support, including business planning, succession planning and performance recording.
The above support can be provided through:
- Expert-led workshops and webinars
- Farm visits and one-to-one consultations
- Written reports that include recommendations
- Networking opportunities with other farmers
There are a large number of organisations providing this free advice through the Farming Resilience Fund and these are listed by county.
The government website details the relevant farm sectors each organisation can support and provides contact information and a link to the organisation website, all of which can be found here. As places are limited and provided on a first-come first-served basis, FAS would encourage you to engage with organisations delivering advice in your sector/area.
If you have technical difficulties accessing information about the organisations providing free business support, you can call the Defra helpline on 0345 933 5577.
To watch videos from farmers who have benefited from the Farming Resilience Fund please follow the link to the Farming blog here.
To keep up to date with the details of the scheme, please subscribe to Defra’s Farming blog and sign up to Defra’s e-alerts.
A reminder from the Environment Agency for farmers to start preparations for winter slurry storage
The Environment Agency (EA) continues to urge farmers to start their preparations now for winter slurry storage through their Winter Ready campaign, which supports farmers across the country that face slurry storage issues.
Getting winter ready – a case study
In the second part of the EA’s farm winter ready campaign, they visited Tom, a dairy farmer in Cornwall, to find out about the changes he made to slurry storage on his farm and the difference they made when winter came. The video highlights how increasing his slurry storage capacity resulted in no more spreading at the wrong time of year, peace of mind and more grass grown when slurry was spread in the spring. Tom also spoke about how the grant-funded improvements he had made to his outbuildings meant that he was able to keep rainwater from mixing with manure in his sheds. This meant a reduction in the volume of slurry he was collecting.
If you’ve watched the video and have concerns about your own storage capacity for the winter ahead, please speak to your local EA Officer or call the EA’s National Customer Contact Centre hotline on 03708 506 506. They will work with you to manage your issues and will direct you to sources of further, independent and free advice from CSF and the FAS.
The EA has provided some steps and solutions to tackle slurry storage issues:
- Ensure you have adequate storage to see you through winter without the need to spread. The EA recommends having six months of storage to help comply with the requirements of the Farming Rules for Water to spread only according to crop and soil need.
- Cover slurry storage tanks, lagoons and pits and use the summer months to fix draining and clear guttering to ensure separation of clean and dirty water, meaning less rainwater mixes with slurry to increase its volume.
- Refrain from taking sludge, digestate or other materials if you don’t have an immediate need for them. Even if you are contracted to take these materials, all producers have a responsibility to ensure bi-products and waste are properly disposed of.
Defra support includes a range of capital items available through Capital Grants 2024 that can support farmers to reduce the amount of slurry generated on their farm. This includes slurry store covers, roofing, concrete yards and drainage systems. A CSF advisor can visit farms and provide advice on how these can best be utilised.
The EA recommends using the online Slurry Wizard Tool to help farmers with calculations.
If you have any concerns or questions about adequate slurry storage for the winter, contact your local EA Officer or call the EA’s National Customer Contact Centre hotline on 03708 506 506 or email enquiries@environment-agency.gov.uk.
Increased payment rates and reduced application times for the England Woodland Creation Offer
Defra and the Forestry Commission (FC) recently confirmed an increase in grant funding that farmers can receive for tree planting under the England Woodland Creation Offer (EWCO). The main increase in funding is for ‘additional contributions’ which are payments made to farmers for providing environmental and social benefits such as nature recovery, flood mitigation and the provision of recreational access.
A new ‘Low Sensitivity Land Payment’ has also been introduced. This is worth an additional £1,100 per hectare for planting on less productive land, and is aimed at encouraging planting on land that is less suitable for food production.
Defra and the FC have also improved tree planting grants for farmers by:
- Introducing the new Woodland Creation Fast Track which supports quicker decisions for woodland creation proposals in low sensitivity areas. This was introduced following sector feedback that customers needed faster decisions on their applications.
- Adding a new Nature Recovery – Premium option worth £3,300 per hectare to the Nature Recovery Additional Contribution. This is designed to encourage the planting or natural colonisation of highly biodiverse woodlands next to ancient woodland.
- Making uplifts to other existing additional contributions, with a focus on water quality, flood mitigation and access. For example; payments for flood risk management doubled from £500 to £1,000 per hectare, while payments for recreational access increased from £2,200 to £3,700.
- Raising annual maintenance payments from £350 to £400 per hectare, per year for 15 years – recognising that caring for new trees is vital if new woodlands are to flourish.
If you are interested in learning more about how other farmers are using EWCO to integrate woodland creation into their farming system, the FC has provided a video where you can hear from Merlin Hanbury-Tenison, owner of Cabilla Manor Farm in Cornwall, on how he created a resilient business model that included 40,000 new trees.
"For the last 50 or 60 years, farmers have been encouraged to always view their main role and their main function as food production. Our food security as a nation is vital and farmers sit at the heart of that. But we also need to look at land in a more objective way and see where we benefit both climate mitigation and carbon sequestration, biodiversity uplift, making more spaces for society to enjoy and humans to spend time in – alongside a food producing set of land mosaics as well." Merlin Hanbury-Tenison, owner of Cabilla Manor Farm.
To find out more, please visit the Woodland Creation campaign page.
TreeAlert launches new dashboard
TreeAlert is the UK’s only online reporting tool for tree pests and diseases. Farmers can use the portal to report unhealthy trees on their land if they are concerned that they may be affected by tree pests or diseases such as ash dieback, sweet chestnut blight or oak processionary moth.
Reports are assessed by pathologists and entomologists in Forest Research and can act as an early warning system for rising or emerging threats.
For the first time, TreeAlert is making its data available to all registered users via an online dashboard. Users can now access two years of reports as searchable lists, charts and map views.
Access to such data could help farmers understand what is happening with tree pests and diseases in their local area and across the country.
The information gathered through TreeAlert reports supports important tree health monitoring and surveillance work. It also contributes to ongoing scientific research and ultimately helps efforts to protect the nation’s trees.
Defra regularly updates the Farming blog. Please subscribe to the blog to ensure you receive all the latest news.
Bluetongue virus update: 107 cases confirmed in the 24/25 vector season to date
Following the detection of further cases of bluetongue virus BTV-3 in the East Riding of Yorkshire and Lincolnshire area and indications of local transmission, the Temporary Control Zone was lifted and replaced with an extended Restricted Zone (RZ) on 17 September 2024. The RZ in Kent was also extended to include all of Kent, East Sussex and more of Greater London following the detection of more cases in the area.
On 21 September 2024, following the identification of cases close to the edge of the bluetongue RZs and in accordance with Defra’s policy of seeking to contain and slow the spread of disease, the two RZs were merged and extended. The new RZ now also covers all of Lincolnshire, Cambridgeshire, Bedfordshire, Hertfordshire, Greater London, Surrey and West Sussex. Further information on these restrictions is available on GOV.UK.
On 27 September a case was confirmed in Gwynedd, Wales. This is the first case that has been found in Wales. Further information can be found on GOV.WALES.
Surveillance continues as, due to the current temperatures and midge activity, which spread the disease, there is a high risk of onward spread in the UK.
Keepers of cattle, sheep, camelids and other ruminants are being asked to remain vigilant, report any suspicion of bluetongue immediately and follow the restrictions on animal and germinal product movements that apply. Animals must only be moved where it is absolutely necessary. More information on the restrictions and licences that apply is available on GOV.UK.
Livestock keepers are urged to speak to their vet and to check the bluetongue interactive map and the guidance available on GOV.UK for more information.
Information about BTV-3 vaccinations is also available on GOV.UK.
Get involved – Defra needs your input to improve digital services
Defra is looking for farmers, growers and land managers to join a Defra Farming and Countryside user research panel to help improve guidance and services on GOV.UK. Find out more information and how to take part in research sessions.
As part of the Defra Farming and Countryside user research panel, you would receive invitations for different types of research. Some sessions may be a casual chat, as the Defra team want to gain your thoughts and feedback to develop a new service, and some may be testing a prototype or filling in a survey.
Typically, the user research team would email a research opportunity around once a month to see if anyone is interested and available to take part. Sessions generally range from 30-75 minutes. This research panel is open to farmers or land managers. If you have any contacts who may like an opportunity to work with Defra on building better services for farmers, feel free to share this link: https://defragroup.eu.qualtrics.com/jfe/form/SV_byGvZLurq3CMkGG
If you have any questions or comments, please contact FCPUserResearchTeam@defra.gov.uk
A new Floods Resilience Taskforce
On Thursday 12 September 2024, Defra announced that the new Floods Resilience Taskforce had convened for the first time. The taskforce includes central government, Local Resilience Forums, emergency responders and the National Farmers Union , among others.
The aim of the taskforce is to turbo charge the development of flood defences and bolster the nation’s resilience to extreme weather. The taskforce will protect land, rural homes and businesses from flooding and co-ordinate flood preparation between central government and the agencies on the ground.
Abstraction licence returns
If you hold an abstraction licence that authorises abstraction wholly within the months of April to October you may need to report your water abstraction return for the 12-month period 1 November 2023 to 31 October 2024.
If you need to submit a return, you will receive a notification from the EA at the end of October / beginning of November 2024.
You will need to submit your return by 28 November 2024.
You can submit your return online by registering with the EA’s online digital Service.
If you already have an online account and have applied for and received a new licence, including a renewal of a licence which previously expired, since you last submitted a return, you will need to link the new licence to your account. You can do this by accessing your account and selecting the ‘add licence’ option.
If you had a licence that expired during the period 1 November 2023 to 31 October 2024 (inclusive) a return may still be requested. To submit the return you will need to request a paper return form from the EA rather than submitting online.
By contacting the National Customer Contact Centre on 03708 506 506 or enquiries@environment-agency.gov.uk
RPA Blog
To stay up to date with the latest information and updates from 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 RPA. You can also follow RPA on social media:
- X @ruralpay
- Facebook: facebook.com/RuralPaymentsAgency
- YouTube: Rural Payments Agency
- Instagram: ruralpay
Updates from the Institute for Agriculture and Horticulture (TIAH)
Acquisition of the National Libraries for AgriFood (NLAF)
TIAH has announced its recent acquisition of NLAF. It serves as a comprehensive resource, offering a wide array of materials, including scientific publications and practice-derived content. The library partners with technical, academic and commercial organisations while maintaining an independent editorial stance, ensuring that all materials added are vetted for academic and technical quality.
TIAH are calling on farmers, growers and other industry representatives to participate in their upcoming user research to enhance this service to better meet the evolving needs of the food and farming community. TIAH are seeking farmers and growers to participate in two key research activities:
- Online survey: Share your thoughts on current agricultural information needs and how the NLAF can better serve you.
- One-to-one interviews: TIAH are looking for individuals willing to participate in in-depth conversations about their experiences of finding and using information about innovations in farming and growing. These interviews will last about 30-40 minutes and take place through a virtual meeting.
By taking part, you can help shape a resource tailored to the needs of the farming community, gain early insights into upcoming improvements to the NLAF. You will also be entered into a prize draw for a £50 Amazon voucher.
To participate in the survey or express interest in an interview, please visit NLAFSurvey or email info@tiah.org
New e-learning path - Essential Skills: Why inclusion matters
TIAH has recently launched its new e-learning path, Essential Skills: Why inclusion matters. Learning pathways are designed to support farmers and growers to understand the importance of diversity and inclusion, recognising unconscious biases and implementing practical steps to create a welcoming workplace for everyone.
TIAH believes that by creating an inclusive workplace, farmers and growers can see many practical benefits, including:
- Better staff retention: Inclusive workplaces are more likely to retain employees, reducing the costs and disruptions associated with high staff turnover
- Attracting talent: Implementing inclusive hiring practices can attract talent from a wider pool, helping alleviate labour shortages
- Improved innovation: Diverse teams bring different perspectives, which can lead to more innovative solutions to farming challenges.
TIAHs e-learning path is designed to be:
- Practical and tailored to agricultural and horticultural contexts
- Concise and impactful, taking around 40 minutes to complete each module; and
- Supported by additional resources and guidance from TIAH.
TIAH understands that many farmers and growers want to be more inclusive but are not sure where to start, which is why they are offering this training free of charge.
Visit the TIAH website to access the FREE course: Essential skills: Why inclusion matters.
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In line with data protection regulations, such as the General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR) and the UK Data Protection Act 2018, the FAS has updated its privacy policy to explain how your data is kept safe. To view the policy, please visit www.farmingadviceservice.org.uk/events/privacy/.