Rules for farmers and land managers
What you must do when you keep livestock or manage land.
Applies to England
Defra is looking for farmers, growers and land managers to join a user panel to help improve guidance and services on GOV.UK. Find out more information and how to take part in research sessions.
There are legal requirements in English law around certain farming activities to protect people, livestock and the environment. Government agencies and local authorities inspect farms and land to make sure you follow the rules. This page does not contain all the rules but can help you find the ones that apply to you.
Keep livestock
What you must do to keep livestock and protect the public from cattle.
Keeping cattle, bison and buffalo in England and Wales
Protect the public from cattle kept on land
Keeping sheep and goats in England
Keeping deer in England: tagging, movement and record keeping rules
Protect animal health and welfare
What you must know about animal welfare, food safety, disease and use of medicines.
Protect animal welfare on farm and in transport
Produce safe-to-eat food for humans or animals
Report notifiable diseases in animals
Bovine TB: get your cattle tested in England
Responsible use of animal medicines on the farm
Protect the environment if you keep livestock
What you must do to avoid pollution from animals, manure and silage.
Pigs and poultry intensive farming: environmental permits
Make sure animal activities do not damage soil
Store organic manures in nitrate vulnerable zones
Store slurry, silage and agricultural fuel oil safely
Fallen stock and safe disposal of dead animals
Manage land that you own or occupy
What you must do to protect your land and manage public access.
Manage farming and horticultural activities to prevent soil erosion and water pollution
Public rights of way: landowner responsibilities
Open access land: management, rights and responsibilities
Coastal margin: management, rights and responsibilities
Sites of special scientific interest: manage sites you own or occupy
Heather and grass burning: rules and when you need a licence
Change or improve rural land: check if you need to apply for an Environmental Impact Assessment
Use pest control products
What you must do when you buy, move, use or store pesticides.
Register as a professional user of plant protection products
Use, transport or store pesticides safely
Code of practice for using plant protection products: what you legally have to do
Apply products to your land
When you can spread fertiliser, manure or waste on your land and the restrictions that apply if you burn crop residues.
Plan your use of fertiliser or manure to reduce water pollution
Nitrate vulnerable zones: rules when you use fertilisers or store manure
Use sewage sludge on your land
Waste exemption: spread waste to benefit your land
Burning crop residues: restrictions and rules for farmers and land managers
Produce plant varieties and seeds
What you must know about plant breeders’ rights, getting seeds certified, licences, farm saved seed and selling seed potatoes.
Plant breeders rights: national listing of plant varieties, seed certification and farm saved seed
Protect landscape features
What you must know before you start work on hedges or sites that are legally protected because of their historical importance.
Countryside hedgerow protection rules: removing a hedgerow
Hedgerow management rules: cutting and trimming
Hedgerow management rules: buffer strips
Get permission before you work on scheduled monuments
Manage trees and woodland
What you must know about planting, felling and keeping trees healthy.
Tree planting and woodland creation: overview
Plan woodland projects: check if you need to apply for an Environmental Impact Assessment
Manage water
What you can do around watercourses and what permissions you need.
Maintain watercourses and understand permissions you need to work around them
Check if you need a licence to abstract water
Manage and dispose of waste
What you must do with hazardous waste, such as chemical containers and sheep dip.
Manage waste on land: guidance for land managers
Discharges to surface water and groundwater: environmental permits
Sheep dip: groundwater protection code
Make compost, biogas, fertiliser or animal feed
What you must do when working with materials that come from animals but are not for human consumption.
Guidance for the animal by-products industry
Get advice
Get advice from Defra or the Farming Advice Service.
Updates to this page
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Added call for farmers, growers and land managers to take part in a user panel to help improve guidance and services on GOV.UK.
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Links added for the hedgerow management rules on cutting and trimming, and buffer strips.
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Removed cross compliance requirements for England. Cross compliance no longer applies in England from 1 January 2024.
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Updated the introduction to clarify the legal status of the rules in England. And that farms are inspected by government agencies and local authorities. Updated keeping deer in England link title to match the destination page title. Removed import, export or distribute animals and food section. This content is covered in the farming and land management topic.
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Changed link for woodland creation and fixed broken link for advice.
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Added new sheep and goats, pigs and deer links. Removed Register land you use to keep livestock, Register livestock to get a flock or herd mark and Get a temporary land association (TLA) or temporary county parish holding (CPH) number because these are on livestock collection pages. Added descriptions under headings. Changed sentence to make it clearer it doesn't cover all rules.
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Added link for Register livestock to get a flock or herd mark because it is a new page explaining the rules.
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Changed pigs and poultry intensive farming environmental permits link. Removed organic farming link. Added sheep dip groundwater protection link.
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First published.