Guidance

Annex 8: Livestock record-keeping requirements on arable and grassland

Published 25 February 2021

Applies to England

You must read and meet the requirements detailed in this annex as these are mandatory for all Higher Tier agreement holders

This annex provides the detail of the livestock record keeping requirements that apply to Countryside Stewardship agreement holders. This will help you show that you are managing the land in accordance with your agreement.

The requirements are in addition to those set out in Sections 5.2.4 and 5.5.1 of this manual.

If you have a Countryside Stewardship agreement that has options with requirements relating to grazing management (including ‘do not graze’ or ’exclude livestock’) the requirements for these options may require you to keep livestock records. The individual option requirements are in your Agreement Document, or can be found at Countryside Stewardship grants on GOV.UK.

1. If you do not keep the required livestock records

It is a breach of the option management rules and we may apply reductions and penalties – read Section 6.4 of this manual.

2. How to keep livestock records

2.1 At parcel level

You must keep livestock records for each land parcel or grassland unit that includes at least one of the options in 1A or 2A of Annex 8A and at least one of the options in 3A of Annex 8B (if you choose to graze livestock). You do not need to keep land parcel specific records for land parcels that do not contain these options.

If you manage several adjacent land parcels as one grassland unit, in a block or on rotation, you may keep one record for that grassland unit as long as any stocking limits that apply (usually set out in a calendar) have been set for the unit or block as a whole. Where there’s a minimum stocking level, it is acceptable for there to be no grazing animals in an individual land parcel at a given time, as long as the minimum level is met when averaged across the block as a whole. You should also keep farm level livestock records unless that grassland unit represents your whole farm (see definition of farm below).

2.2 At farm level

If your agreement contains at least one of the options in 1B or 2B of Annex 8A or 3B of Annex 8B, you must make sure there is no over or undergrazing, or intensification of grazing, due to carrying out the option management requirements. Read Section 5.2.4 for more information.

You must keep livestock records as evidence that you have kept to the maximum stocking density required on your farm. The maximum stocking density is:

Mid Tier: do not stock more than:

• 2.5 livestock units (LU) per hectare on non-Severely Disadvantaged Area (SDA) land and
• 2.0 LU per hectare on SDA land

on average over the year across all agricultural land on the farm or production unit where the agreement is located.

Higher Tier: do not stock at more than the rates specified in the Agreement Document on average over the year across all agricultural land on the farm or production unit where the agreement is located.

3. Recording and retention of livestock records

You can keep livestock records either electronically or on paper. However, your records must include all the required information (see below) as you may be asked to produce these during a site visit.

Use the livestock tables and spreadsheets published at Livestock record-keeping. When you have filled these in, they will give you information to help you explain how you have met your agreement requirements at both the land parcel level and farm level.

It is important to keep your records up-to-date, so that you can produce them if requested.

You must keep these records for the period of your agreement and for at least 7 years after it ends. If a problem occurs you can use your records as evidence of when the problem started, and its extent. This may limit any penalties.

4. Information you must record

Your records must include:

• the agreement reference number, agreement holder’s name and the calendar year (so the data can be linked to a particular agreement and the correct year)
• the name of the person who entered the record (to make it easier to check if there is a difference)
• the date of the record (to show the data has been recorded in a timely way).

Your parcel level records must clearly show:

• the land parcel number(s) so that the data is linked to the relevant land parcel (or parcels - when adjacent land parcels are managed as one unit)
• the option code that applies to the land parcel(s) so that the data is compared with the relevant requirement
• the area of the relevant option within that land parcel(s) so that livestock density calculations are carried out correctly
• the dates when grazing takes place and (where appropriate) the livestock present on the option land parcel to show that grazing has taken place within the prescribed periods and (where appropriate) that the livestock density has been calculated correctly.

You may need to record the following information:

• the species, age bracket and number of livestock on each option land parcel - if your agreement includes a minimum or maximum livestock density or a livestock calendar
• the breed - if you have the native breeds supplement (SP8).

You only need to keep records for the livestock types set out in Annex 8C. You will need to consider the age of the livestock so that you can convert livestock numbers into Livestock Units. You can assess the age of the animals visually or use any other records available.

Your farm level records must include:

• livestock present on farm on the 15th of each month - to show that livestock density calculations are carried out correctly. You will need to record the species, age bracket and number of all the livestock on your farm with the exception of housed stock that never graze land parcels included in your agreement. Making a record each month will mean you can calculate an annual stocking density. You only need to keep records for the livestock types set out in Annex C. You will need to consider the age of the livestock so that you can convert livestock numbers into Livestock Units. You can assess the age of the animals visually or use any other records available
• area of farm - to make sure that livestock density calculations are carried out correctly, the area of your ‘farm’ is the agricultural area (the area of arable land, permanent grassland and permanent pasture, and/or permanent crops) of all agricultural land on the farm or production unit where the agreement is located (temporary grazing/summer grass keep does not count towards the ‘area of the farm’).

If you take on more agricultural land you must email or write to us within 90 calendar days of taking over the land. We will then check that the change has not affected the stocking density requirement. (You should also make sure that the land has been registered with us.)

5. Options with restrictions

You only need to keep land parcel level livestock records for the period when the restrictions on grazing apply. You will find these periods in your option recommended management.

6. How often you should update your records

6.1 Options listed in 1A of Annex 8A

Each time you move animals on or off a land parcel or grassland unit covered by an option listed in Annex 8A 1A, you should update your records to show the new total number, species and age bracket of the animals present.

6.2 Options listed in 2A of Annex 8A

You should update your records to show when grazing periods start and stop. This will provide evidence that you are meeting the required numbers in the recommended management of the option.

6.3 Options listed in Annex 8B (options that require exclusion of livestock)

You will make an annual declaration on your Countryside Stewardship claim form that you have met the requirements of your agreement, which will be evidence that the exclusion has taken place. If your agreement allows you to graze, and you choose to graze, at some point in the year then you need to follow the guidance for options listed in 2A.

6.4 Agreements on common land

If you are the agreement holder on a common (the signatory to the Countryside Stewardship agreement), you will need to make sure that livestock records are kept for the whole common. It is up to you how you get the necessary information from individual graziers on the common. In most cases there will already be a requirement on graziers to keep their own records. The number of animals on the common, at different times of the year, will be set out in the individual agreement.

Records on commons should treat the common as a single grazing unit and records do not need to be broken down to the level of the individual land parcel or grassland unit.

If your Countryside Stewardship agreement requires a minimum stocking level on the common, and stock are moved off the common, you will need to make sure that there is no breach of the required minimum stocking density.