CLA claims victory as Rural Payments Agency issues update on cross compliance handbook

In response to the update to the Cross Compliance Handbook for England issued this week by the Rural Payments Agency (RPA) which states that landowners are no longer required to keep herd registers for graziers' cattle where Cattle Tracing System (CTS) links are in place, David Fursdon, President of the Country land & Business Association (CLA) said:

‘This will make the responsibilities of landowners and graziers on cattle identification and registration easier. I am delighted that our members now have no need to keep on-farm records for animals for which they were not required to become the registered keeper on the CTS, due to a valid CTS Link.’

‘The update is a major break through from what was written in the 2006 Cross Compliance Handbook and supplement which was of serious concern for a large number of our members and was an additional risk to farm payments. This is the result of the sort of behind the scenes lobbying that CLA advisers do on a day to day basis and which pays real dividends for our members.

He added: ‘The CLA raised this issue first with RPA in January 2006, at the start of the 2006 cross-compliance year and grazing season, and it has taken persistent lobbying until now to ensure this is confirmed by both Defra and RPA.’