Legislation & Regulation

Blue Tongue restriction zone to cover all of England from 1 July

As from 1 July, the Blue Tongue restriction zone will cover the whole of England.   This means you’ll be able to move animals within England without a specific bluetongue licence or pre-movement testing.  Different rules apply for moving cattle out of England to Wales or Scotland, where pre-movement testing and licences still apply.  Read more on this page.  

New guidance on autumn muckspreading

Following a review Defra has announced that autumn muck spreading will be allowed to continue, but farmers must take steps to demonstrate more clearly why they need to spread organic manures at any time.  This justification should include a proper nutrient management plan, including “an assessment of the crop nutrient requirement for each cultivated land parcel” informed by using the AHDB’s RB209 guide, or approved farm software, or a Facts-qualified agronomist.  Read more about the guidance on this page.  

Changes on the way for cattle ID tags

From Summer 2026, Defra will be introducing changes to cattle identification, registration and reporting to help improve the government’s ability to respond effectively to disease.  New requirements will see Electric ID mandatory for all new-born calves from 2027, using low frequency technology. This means animals with eID eartags are able to be scanned when animals are moved, rather than a visual read and manual input of the tag number.  The changes in tags will be supported by a new cattle movement reporting system which will be easier to use for farmers, markets, abattoirs and regulators alike. This will simplify existing regulations and support the livestock industry to boost productivity, food security and international trade.  Read more here.

Keep up to date with changing Blue Tongue control rules

The UK is now in a low risk period of vector transmission for Blue Tongue, as although midges are active they are unlikely to be infectious.  Therefore, the risk of vector transmission of bluetongue is considered low.   From 27 May 2025, the length of time that pre-movement test samples are valid is changing from 21 days to 10 days. You must time your sampling so that the samples are still valid on the planned move date.  Pre-movement testing exemptions have been extended to 12 June 2025. This means that you do not have to test non-breeding animals over 60 days old before moving them out of the restricted zone.  To keep up to date with all the changes in control rules, please visit this page.  

Hedge management legislation – no cutting period starts on 1 March

New hedgerow legislation was introduced on 23 May 2024, following a consultation with landowners by Defra.  This year will be the first year of the full no cutting window for hedgerows in England.   The no cutting period begins on 1 March and concludes on 31 August.  Anyone who is found to have trimmed their hedges within this period could be liable for civil sanctions or variable monetary penalties under The Management of Hedgerows (England) Regulations 2024.  There are some exceptions to the rule.   Read the full hedge management rules on this page of the Defra website.  

Rules for farmers post cross compliance from 2024 onwards

2023 is the final year of Cross Compliance and all rules must be followed by farmers receiving a single farm payment until 31 December of this year.   From 1 January 2024
Cross Compliance ends as a sanction mechanism and will not apply to delinked payments.  However, most cross compliance standards will continue to apply to farm activities as they are enshrined in other English laws.  Defra has established a Farm Regulation Hub which lists all of the legal requirements for farmers and land managers.  You can access the Hub on this page.

Defra is also looking at ways to fill the gaps in Cross Compliance rules which are not covered by current laws together with better ways of using existing enforcement tools.  They have also run recent consultations on how to protect and manage hedgerows and improve livestock traceability.

Read the rules and regulations for farmers and land managers all on one page

Following feedback, Defra has established a new page on its website which lists all of the rules and regulations for farmers and land managers in one place.  The rules are also arranged in a more intuitive way, by the activities that you undertake.  Defra is keen for further feedback on the new page, so please try and send them your thoughts.  Access the new page here.  

Reminder on water abstraction licences

If your current water abstraction licence is due to expire, and you want to continue to abstract, you need to apply for a new licence at least 3 months before the existing licence expires.  For more information on applying for a water abstraction licence, please visit this website.