If you have found a suitable piece of land to fulfill your needs and dreams of a smallholding, the next procedure will be to contact a number of organisations in order to register as an agricultural holding and to obtain herd / flock numbers for sheep, goats, pigs and cattle.
Department for Environment, Farming and Rural Affairs
DEFRA have overall responsibility for all matters dealing with farming.
Information can be obtained by contacting their helpline on 08459 335577 or via the web site www.defra.gov.uk
There are a number of departments within DEFRA that you will come into contact with:
Rural Payments Agency (RPA)
Even if you are just keeping a few animals and not operating a commercial enterprise you must register both your own and your land details to obtain an Agricultural Holding or CPH (County, Parish, Holding) number.
The issue of a CPH number confers no rights onto its holder and is purely for administration purposes, making tracing of livestock owners easier in event of disease outbreak. To obtain a holding number contact the RPA on 0845 6037777 or via their web site www.rpa.gov.uk.
The RPA will also issue you with a registration document to gain further details of your business. On completion of this form you will be issued with a Single Business Identifier (SBI) number. This will be used whenever you contact the RPA or apply for Grant Schemes such as the Stewardship Schemes.
Animal Health Divisional Office (AHDO)
Once you have obtained your holding number, your next stop should be the ADHO that is responsible for your county. For Shropshire it is based in Worcester and can be contacted on 01905 767111. Details for other counties can be obtained from DEFRA (see contact details above).
The AHDO will issue you with your unique herd / flock numbers, specific to your holding, which are used to trace keepers of livestock and for individual animal identification. You will require different numbers for each type of livestock you keep except sheep & cattle can have the same number.
Trading Standards (TS)
Trading Standards (TS) are responsible for the administration of Animal Movement Licenses, in conjunction with the AHDO. They will issue you with licenses for completion on the day of travel. These should be used whenever livestock are moved between holdings, to market or to the abattoir. TS for Shropshire are based in Shrewsbury and can be contacted on 01743 254131 or via www.tradingstandards.gov.uk/shropshire.
British Cattle Movement Service (BCMS)
If you intend to keep cattle it is necessary to register with the BCMS, who are responsible for recording
movements of all cattle throughout the country via the cattle passport scheme. BCMS can be contacted on 0845 050 1234 or via www.bcms.gov.uk.
Once you have spent a morning (or two!) contacting these organisations you should be set up with all the numbers necessary for keeping livestock on your holding although there are further requirements for moving and transporting animals and these will be covered in future newsletters.
Meanwhile, start to experience the joys of being a smallholder.