Cross compliance: 2013 inspection results
Results of cross compliance inspections in 2013 - including most common failures.
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These are the results from Cross compliance inspections in 2013.
They show the most common reasons why farmers failed to meet each Statutory Management Requirement (SMR) and Good Agricultural and Environmental Conditions (GAEC).
SMR 2 Groundwater
The most common failures found during the 2013 inspection regime include:
- the farmer has not met the conditions of any permit or notice issued by the Environment Agency;
- the farmer has failed to obtain a permit from the Environment Agency before carrying out, causing or knowingly permitting the discharge of any non-hazardous pollutant(s).
Further information on common failures:
Failure to keep records to show compliance with the permits such as records of sheep dip disposal and/or pesticide washings. Allowing the discharge of non-hazardous pollutants on their land such as effluent from slurry or silo stores.
SMR 4 Nitrate Vulnerable Zones (NVZs)
The most common failures found during the 2013 inspection regime include:
- records incomplete or irreconcilable records;
- issues with the location of temporary field heaps;
- application of organic manure too close to watercourses;
- Closed period for organic manure with high readily available nitrogen breached
- insufficient slurry storage.
Further information on common failures:
Failure to adhere to the requirements for keeping records of applications of Nitrogen. In many cases the farmer was unable to produce any of the correct records. In others failure to provide enough information within records for inspectors to make a full assessment of the use of Nitrogen on the far. Failure to produce records of manure storage calculation, fertiliser plan, nutrient management plan and/or risk map.
Temporary field heaps were often found to have been located in the same place for over 12 months and too close to watercourses. Organic manure had been applied within 10 metres of surface water or within 50 metres of a borehole. Some failures also found that farmers had not provided sufficient storage for all the slurry as required.
SMR 6 Pig identification and registration
The most common failures found during the 2013 inspection regime include:
- records or movement documents not maintained in accordance with legal requirements;
- Movements not reported recorded correctly
Failure to keep all records of movements of pigs on and off the holding or provide full information on the movement. Some farmers were unable to produce a register at all while others had missing entries for some movements. Failures to report movements of pigs were increasingly common, and often the same farmers were found to have breached both requirements on record keeping and reporting movements.
SMR 7 Cattle identification and registration
The most common failures found during the 2013 inspection regime include:
- failure to report movement of an animal;
- failure to report death of an animal;
- movement details not recorded or incorrectly recorded on CTS or in farm records;
- lost tags not replaced, animals not tagged.
Further information on common failures:
Failures in reporting deaths and movements of cattle. Problems also found with movements not being correctly recorded in the on-farm records or not recorded at all. Animals found with no passport or passports present with no animals. Animals found that have never been tagged or lost all tags and failure to replace missing tags within 28 days.
SMR 8 Sheep and goats identification
The most common failures found during the 2013 inspection regime include:
- flock/herd records not maintained in accordance with legal requirements.
- Sheep and/or goats have never been tagged or are incorrectly tagged (i.e. not in accordance with Commission Regulation/ SAGRIMO
Further information on common failures:
Failure to record details of births or dates of first identification were the most common failure in record keeping. Failure to enter all or some movements of sheep in the on-farm records and failure to enter all the correct information about movements of sheep, in particular not recording individual animal numbers. Also found failures to record details of deaths or animals and details of replacement tags. Failure to record an annual inventory of the animals in the farm records.
SMR 9 Restrictions on the use of plant protection products (PPPs)
The most common failures found during the 2013 inspection regime include:
- the farmer has used an approved product but has not complied with the conditions of approval;
- the farmer has used plant protection products in a manner that is not in accordance with the principles of good plant protection practice as set out in the Code of Practice.
Further information on common failures:
Failure to adhere to all approval conditions such as maximum dose levels exceeded, applied using a non-approved method of application or permitted number of applications exceeded. Also products used on crops for which they are not approved. Other failures found that farmers were not using pesticides in accordance with the principles of integrated control, where this was possible (e.g. the farmer has not considered the need for treatment or the use of alternative means of control prior to the use of pesticides).
SMR 11 Food and feed law
The most common failures found during the 2013 inspection regime include:
- no records kept or records incomplete;
- failure to ensure that all eligible animals conform to national herd/flock health surveillance and testing intervals for TB.
Further information on common failures:
Failure to keep any records for the use of pesticides on the farm and failure to keep records of veterinary medicinal products given to animals. Also, cattle keepers not keeping up to date with the required testing of their cattle for Tuberculosis.
SMR 16 Welfare of calves
The most common failures found during the 2013 inspection regime include:
- failure to provide calves with access to an adequate lying area and sufficient clean bedding;
- evidence that cleaning and disinfection procedures are inadequate insufficient or no bedding for all calves.
Further information on common failures:
Failure to provide a clean, comfortable and well drained lying area. Failure to provide clean bedding or adequate bedding. Failure to properly clean and disinfect housing and equipment used for calves.
SMR 17 Welfare of pigs
The most common failures found during the 2013 inspection regime include:
- pigs over 2 weeks old not given permanent access to a sufficient supply of fresh drinking water;
- pigs do not have a clean and/or physically comfortable and/or adequately drained lying area.
Further information on common failures:
Failure to make sure that all pigs on the holding over 2 weeks of age have access to an adequate water supply at all times. Failure to provide a lying area for pigs which must be clean and comfortable and have adequate drainage.
SMR 18 Animal welfare
The most common failures found during the 2013 inspection regime include:
- medicine and/or mortality records are not kept or are incomplete;
- you must make sure that you care for ill or injured animals immediately, and if they do not respond to this care then seek veterinary advice;
- you must make sure that your animals are looked after by enough staff who have the correct skills and knowledge/failure to inspect frequently enough;
- you must give your animals that are not kept in buildings access to a well drained area at all times and, if necessary, protection from adverse weather conditions, predators and other risks to their health
- you must build and maintain accommodation so that there are no sharp edges or protrusions which could injure your animals.
Further information on common failures:
Failure to keep any records or adequate records of the medicinal treatments given to their animals. Failure also to complete accurate and complete records of any deaths of their animals. There were also problems found where some sick animals had not received the necessary care or attention to treat their illness including not seeking veterinary advice soon enough. Farms not having any or enough staff with the correct knowledge and skills to look after animals, often leading to infrequency of inspection and not dealing with sickness quick enough. Problems also found where animals kept outside were not protected from risks to their health such as sharp objects outside which may cause harm. Also animals were located in accommodation where there were sharp edges or objects sticking out which may harm or injure the animals. Animals not given access to clean and dry lying areas.
GAEC 1 Soil Protection Review (SPR)
The most common failures found during the 2013 inspection regime was:
- the farmer has not conducted a Soil Protection Review 2010 and made it available to an inspector on request;
- the farmer has not adequately completed the Soil Protection Review 2010.
- The farmer has not updated his SPR 2010 as and when required.
Further information on common failures:
Failure to complete or produce for the inspector a Soil Protection Review 2010 which identified the broad soil types on the farm, any soil management issues and the measures being taken to rectify any issues found. Failure to complete the Soil Protection Review 2010 correctly such as not listing all the land parcels in Table B (or on the map), not classifying all soil types and not covering all the relevant land uses in Table C. Failure to enter instances of when waterlogged land has been accessed on the farm in Table D.
GAEC 8 Public rights of way
The most common failures found during the 2013 inspection regime was:
- a visible right of way has been wilfully obstructed.
- The surface of a visible, cross-field footpath or bridleway has been disturbed and has not been re-instated to meet the minimum width requirement and/or within the specified time(s).
Further information on common failures:
Public rights of way were found blocked, usually by a standing crop or overgrown vegetation, so walkers would be unable to use it as intended.
GAEC 11 Control of weeds
The most common failures found during the 2013 inspection regime was:
- Reasonable steps not taken to prevent the spread of injurious weeds;
- Reasonable steps not taken to prevent the spread of specified invasive non-native weeds.
Further information on common failures:
GAEC 14 Protection of hedgerows and watercourses
The most common failures found during the 2013 inspection regime was:
- the farmer has cultivated or applied fertilisers or pesticides in the protection zones around either hedgerows or watercourses.
Further information on common failures:
Cultivation such as ploughing and drilling took place within the protection zone with on many occasions evidence of cultivation, drilling and ongoing management taking place including spraying. Also evidence of pesticides being sprayed within the protection zones. Occasions of storage in the protection zone as well as evidence of dredgings alongside watercourses. Protection zones were often in existence but not to the required width.
GAEC 15 Hedgerows
The most common failures found during the 2013 inspection regime was:
- the farmer has removed a hedgerow or section of hedgerow without permission from the local authority.
- The farmer has illegally cut or trimmed any hedgerow between 1 March and 31 July.
Further information on common failures:
Evidence found that a length, or an entire hedgerow, had been removed without obtaining the consent of the local authority.
GAEC 18 Water abstraction
The most common failures found during the 2013 inspection regime were:
- The farmer has failed to comply with the condition of an abstraction licence.
GAEC 19 No spread zones
The most common failures found during the 2013 inspection regime were:
- the farmer has failed to produce or keep a risk map;
- the farmer has applied organic manure within 10 metres of surface water or within 50 metres of a borehole.
Further information on common failures:
The farmer has not produced or kept a risk map showing all the surface water, springs, wells and boreholes on their land. Evidence that organic manure has been applied to land too close to either surface water or to a borehole.
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