RPA updates cross-compliance guidance for landowners and graziers

The Rural Payments Agency has simplified one of its cross-compliance rules for 2006.

The agency has issued an update which says landowners are not required to keep herd registers for graziers’ cattle where Cattle Tracing System links are in place.

Landowners have no need to keep on-farm records (Herd Registers) for animals for which they are not required to become the registered keeper on the Cattle Tracing System (CTS) due to a valid CTS link being in place.

An RPA statement said the Cross Compliance Handbook for England (2006 edition supplement), issued in May, should now be amended. 

It said the second bullet point of the Cattle (SMRs 7 and 8) section at the top of page 16 should be replaced with the following text:

•  The keeper will be liable for all animals that are, or should be, registered to them on CTS. Landowners should note that where they provide land for grazing but are not required to become the registered keeper of the animals (due to a valid CTS link being in place) they will not be liable for breaches of SMRs 7 and 8, but they will be liable for all other cross compliance standards on their holding, including the land being grazed. 

Landowners and graziers who are unsure of their obligations in regard to cattle identification and registration should contact the BCMS Helpline on 0845 050 1234.