UK Act of Parliament 2020 United Kingdom

Agriculture Act 2020

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At a glance

Enforced by

DEFRA, Natural England, RPA

What's here

11 compliance obligations, 12 practical guides · 10 journeys · 3 statutory instruments

Penalty landscape

2 of 11 obligations carry a fine up to £2,500. 1 carries different penalties and 8 have no criminal penalty — flagged in the list below.

Who this Act binds

Business-side actors with duties under this Act, ranked by how often they appear.

  • Any Person 3

Plus 8 non-business duties on Crown ministers, regulators, local authorities or tribunals — shown collapsed under each section below.

Step-by-step journeys using this legislation

Walkthroughs that take you from a real business situation to compliance.

Relevant guidance

Practical guides for businesses affected by this Act, ordered by how closely they engage with it.

Direct — cites this Act

5 guides

Supporting — topic alignment

7 guides

Other Acts binding the same actors

For each actor bound by this Act, the other UK Acts that bind them most often. Useful for understanding the full compliance landscape facing each role.

Any Person also bound by 749 other Acts (top 5 shown)

What this Act requires

Sections that create concrete duties on businesses or carry penalties. Procedural and definitional sections are folded into the “Browse other sections” expander at the bottom of each group. Click any section title to read the source text on legislation.gov.uk.

Part 1 — Financial assistance

s.004

Multi-annual financial assistance plans

Other duties (1) — Crown / regulator
  • Secretary of State must publish multi-annual financial assistance plans Crown / Minister / Government department
Browse 16 other sections in this Part — procedural / definitional / commencement

Part 2 — Food and agricultural markets

Browse 3 other sections in this Part — procedural / definitional / commencement

Part 3 — Transparency and fairness in the agri-food supply chain

Browse 7 other sections in this Part — procedural / definitional / commencement

Part 4 — Matters relating to farming and the countryside

Browse 3 other sections in this Part — procedural / definitional / commencement

Part 5 — Agricultural products

s.037

Marketing standards

Fine up to £2,500
  • Fail to comply with agricultural marketing standards Any Person
s.038

Organic products

Unlimited fine
  • Breach of organic production, labelling, or import standards Any Person
s.040

Carcass classification

Fine up to £2,500
  • Breach carcass classification and reporting rules Any Person
Browse 2 other sections in this Part — procedural / definitional / commencement

Part 6 — WTO Agreement on Agriculture

Browse 3 other sections in this Part — procedural / definitional / commencement

Part 7 — Wales and Northern Ireland

Browse 3 other sections in this Part — procedural / definitional / commencement

Part 8 — General and final provisions

Browse 10 other sections in this Part — procedural / definitional / commencement

Schedules

Browse 7 other Schedules — structural / supplementary
Read the full Act on legislation.gov.uk (opens in a new tab)

Official guidance

Authoritative sources published by regulators or government explaining this legislation.

Enforcement and responsible bodies

The regulators that administer or enforce this legislation.

DEFRA

Primary

Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs

Government department responsible for environmental protection, food production and standards, agriculture, fisheries, and rural communities. Sets environmental policy and works with agencies …

Natural England

Government adviser for the natural environment in England. Responsible for wildlife licensing (protected species), designating and managing protected sites (SSSIs, National Nature …

RPA

Rural Payments Agency

Executive agency of Defra. Administers agricultural subsidy schemes including the Basic Payment Scheme, Environmental Land Management schemes, and farming grants. Conducts inspections …

Connected legislation

3 statutory instruments

These instruments amend, apply, or refer to this Act. They may not all create direct business obligations.

Explore more

Browse legislation

Find other UK business legislation with related guidance.

Regulators

Learn more about the bodies that enforce this legislation.