Agriculture & Farming

Which farming rules apply to your business

Farming is regulated by what you produce and where you farm. Livestock keepers register land and animals before anything moves; arable and horticultural growers face seed, spraying and water rules; every farm in England now answers to the rules that replaced cross-compliance. Work out which farm type fits your business below, then follow the matching guidance.

UK-wide
On this page
UK-wide

Related guides in Licensing & Permits

Regulation on a farm follows the activity. Keeping any cattle, sheep, goats, pigs or poultry means registering your land for a County Parish Holding (CPH) number with the Rural Payments Agency before animals arrive, then registering as a keeper and identifying and reporting every animal. Growing crops brings seed marketing, pesticide competence and water rules. Since cross-compliance ended on 31 December 2023, the baseline rules — Farming Rules for Water, NVZ rules, the hedgerow management regulations — apply directly to every farm in England, whether or not you claim scheme payments.

Where to start

Work out which farm type fits your business, then follow the matching guidance.

  1. 1

    Keeping livestock

    Follow "Register land to keep livestock" for your CPH number, then "Identify and tag livestock correctly" for tagging, movement reporting and standstill rules, and "Farm health and safety essentials" for the duties that come with working stock.

  2. 2

    Farm payments and land rules

    Follow "Understand farm rules after cross-compliance ended" for what binds you now, and "Prepare for the end of BPS delinked payments" for the payment wind-down to 2027 and the SFI 2026 windows.

  3. 3

    Water, nutrients and environment

    Follow "Comply with Farming Rules for Water", "Comply with Nitrate Vulnerable Zone (NVZ) regulations" and "Comply with farming environmental regulations" for spreading, storage and permit duties.

  4. 4

    Growing and selling crops

    Follow "Grow and sell crops: seed, spraying and certification" for seed marketing, pesticide operator competence, sprayer testing, and vineyard and wine duties.

  5. 5

    Shooting, game and wildlife management

    Follow "Run a shooting, game or wildlife management business" for firearms certificates, close seasons, deer and wildlife law.

  6. 6

    Animal disease duties

    Follow "Recognise and report notifiable animal diseases" — reporting suspicion of a notifiable disease is a legal duty for every keeper.

  7. 7

    Selling direct and diversifying

    Follow "Set up and run a compliant farm shop" for food business registration, allergen labelling and weights and measures.

  8. 8

    Inspections and the bigger picture

    Follow "Prepare for farm inspections and audits" and "Understand your farm's regulatory obligations" for who inspects what and how the regimes fit together.

The regulators by nation

Farming regulation is devolved. In England the Rural Payments Agency issues CPH numbers and runs the payment schemes, APHA handles animal health and registration, and the Environment Agency polices water and permits. In Wales, Rural Payments Wales and Natural Resources Wales take those roles under the whole-Wales agricultural pollution regulations and the Sustainable Farming Scheme. In Scotland, RPID, ScotEID and SEPA administer a regime where the Basic Payment Scheme continues and cattle are reported to ScotEID rather than BCMS. In Northern Ireland, DAERA runs registration, movements (NIFAIS) and the Farm Sustainability Payment.

What sits alongside registration

Whichever routes apply: employers' liability insurance is compulsory if you employ anyone (£5 million minimum) — only unincorporated businesses employing close family members alone are exempt, and incorporation removes the exemption; health and safety law applies to employers and the self-employed alike, with RIDDOR accident reporting; all bird keepers in Great Britain must register with APHA regardless of flock size (DAERA in Northern Ireland); and red diesel may only be used for accepted agricultural purposes.

Official sources

The core registration gateways for farming.