Cross compliance rules - wales
A summary of all SMRs and GAEC’s you need to comply with in Wales.
Cross compliance is a set of rules which Welsh farmers and land managers must follow if they apply for payments under the Basic Payment Scheme. Cross compliance is made up of ‘Statutory Management Requirements’ (SMRs) and standards for ‘Good Agricultural and Environmental Conditions’ (GAECs).
Statutory Management Requirements (SMRs)
| SMR1: | Water Protection – The aim of this requirement is to reduce the pollution of waters from agricultural sources and to prevent such pollution occurring in the future. Transitional periods have been provided for certain requirements, for land not previously falling within a Nitrate Vulnerable Zone. | ||
| SMR2: | Wild Birds – The aim of this requirement is to protect wild birds, their eggs and nests. It applies to all wild birds. Extra rules apply if you have land designated as a Special Protection Area (SPA). | ||
| SMR3: | Conservation of Fauna and Flora (Biodiversity) – The aim of this requirement is to protect species of flora and fauna. Extra requirements apply if you have land designated as a Special Area of Conservation (SAC). | ||
| SMR4: | Food and Feed Law – The aim of this requirement is to ensure the production of food for human consumption and food or feed that is fed to food-producing animals is safe. | ||
| SMR5: | Restrictions on the Use of Substances having Hormonal or Thyrostatic Action and Beta-Agonists in Farm Animals – The aim of this requirement is to stop the illegal use in stock farming of substances that have a hormonal or thyrostatic action and beta-agonists, and to prevent the residues that these substances leave in meat and other foodstuffs from entering the human or animal food chain. It is applicable if you keep farmed animals. | ||
| SMR6: | Pig Identification and Registration – The aim of this requirement is to reduce the risk of pig diseases spreading through controlling movements and improving traceability. It applies to you if you keep pigs. | ||
| SMR7: | Cattle Identification and Registration – The aim of this requirement is to establish a system for the identification and registration of cattle to facilitate their traceability, in particular in the event of a disease outbreak. Within this SMR, ‘cattle’ means all bovine animals. | ||
| SMR8: | Sheep and Goat identification (Sheep and Goat (Records, Identification, Movement (Wales) Order 2015)) – The aim of this requirement is to maintain a system for the identification and registration of sheep and goats in order to facilitate their traceability, in particular in the event of a disease outbreak. It is applicable if you keep sheep and / or goats, even as pets. | ||
| SMR9: | Animal Diseases – Prevention and control of transmissible spongiform encephalopathies – TSEs – The aim of this requirement is to minimise the risk posed to human and animal health by certain transmissible spongiform encephalopathies (TSEs). They apply to you if you keep farmed animals. | ||
| SMR10: | Plant Protection Products – The aim of this requirement is to ensure that plant protection products (PPPs) are used correctly and to minimise their risk to humans, animals and the environment. It applies to you if you use these products on your land. | ||
| SMR11: | Animal Welfare (Calves) – The aim of this requirement is to protect the welfare of calves by setting minimum standards for their care and husbandry. If you keep calves, this applies to you in addition to the requirements for the welfare of all farmed animals. | ||
| SMR12: | Animal Welfare (Pigs) – The aim of this requirement is to protect the welfare of pigs by setting minimum standards for their care and husbandry. If you keep pigs, it applies to you in addition to the requirements for the welfare of all farmed animals (SMR 13: General Animal Welfare). | ||
| SMR13: | Animal Welfare (General) – The aim of this requirement is to protect the welfare of farmed animals by setting minimum standards for their care and husbandry. It applies to you if you keep any species for farming purposes. |
Good Agricultural and Environmental Conditions (GAECs)
| GAEC1: | Water – Establishment of Buffer Strips – The aim of these standards is to protect surface water from pollution by fertilisers and plant protection products (PPP) by creating buffer strips. This requirement applies to all agricultural land in Wales. |
| GAEC2: | Water – Use of Water for Irrigation – The aim of these standards is to manage the use of water, through controlling water abstraction used for irrigation by licensed abstraction. An abstraction licence issued by Natural Resources Wales is required if you abstract more than 20m3 from inland water (such as a river or a stream) or an underground source (such as a well or a borehole) for irrigation purposes. |
| GAEC3: | Water – Groundwater – The aim of these standards is to protect groundwater by controlling the discharge of potentially harmful and polluting materials. For the purposes of cross compliance, ‘Groundwater’ means all water below the surface of the ground that is in the saturation zone (that is, below the water table) and in direct contact with the land or subsoil. |
| GAEC4: | Soil and Carbon stock – minimum soil cover – You must protect soil by ensuring that all land is covered by crops, stubbles, residues, or other vegetation at all times, except where establishing a cover would conflict with requirements under GAEC 5. |
| GAEC5: | Soil and Carbon Stock – managing land to limit soil erosion – The aim of this requirement is to limit soil erosion by not undertaking certain operations. |
| GAEC6: | Soil and Carbon Stock – maintenance of soil and organic matter – The aim of these standards is to protect the soil. Environmental benefits of maintaining habitats and biodiversity are of national importance. |
| GAEC7: | Maintenance of Landscape Features – The aim of this standard is to protect features such as hedges, stone walls, ditches and ancient monuments. |
