Key dates - Farming Regulation england
A full list of farming key dates that you must follow to be compliant with English farming regulations.
Please note that these key dates are specifically for England. Key dates for Wales, Scotland and Northern Ireland may differ.
January
| 1st | There are legal requirements in English law around certain farming activities to protect people, livestock and the environment. Government agencies and local authorities inspect farms and land to make sure you follow the rules. The rules farmers and land managers must follow can be found on GOV.UK. |
| 1st | For any land located in a Nitrate Vulnerable Zone (NVZ), from this date you can apply organic manure with a high, readily available nitrogen content (for example, slurry, poultry manures or liquid digested sewage sludge) to grassland and tillage land on shallow or sandy soils if conditions are suitable and you adhere to the quantity restrictions for applying these manures. This is also subject to compliance with the Farming Rules for Water and there is agronomic justification. (NVZ Guidance) |
| 1st | For any land located in an NVZ, this is the beginning of the year for assessing the annual amount of livestock manure applied to your land. (NVZ Guidance) |
| 16th | For any land located in a Nitrate Vulnerable Zone (NVZ), this is the date from which you can apply manufactured nitrogen fertilisers to grassland and tillage land if conditions are suitable. This is subject to compliance with the Farming Rules for Water and there is agronomic justification. (NVZ Guidance) |
February
| 1st | For any land located in a Nitrate Vulnerable Zone (NVZ), you can, from this date, apply organic manure with a high, readily available nitrogen content (for example, slurry, poultry manures or liquid digested sewage sludge) to grassland and tillage land on all soil types if conditions are suitable and you adhere to the quantity restrictions for applying these manures. This is also subject to complying with the Farming Rules for Water and there being agronomic justification for applying manure. (NVZ Guidance) |
| 28th | For any land located in an NVZ, this date is the end for quantity restrictions for applying organic manures with a high, readily available nitrogen content. This is subject to compliance with the Farming Rules for Water and there is agronomic justification. (NVZ Guidance) |
March
| 1st | New hedgerow management rules came into force in May 2024. As part of this, the hedgerow management rules on cutting and trimming, announced that hedgerows covered by the rules must not be cut or trimmed before 31st August. |
| 31st | If you hold a winter or all year-round water abstraction licence (authorising abstraction outside the period April to October), the Environment Agency will ask you to submit your record of actual 2023/2024 abstraction. You have 28 days to submit your record of actual abstraction to the Environment Agency. (GOV.UK) |
April
| 1st | You must not burn heather, rough grass, bracken, gorse or vaccinium on land, other than in upland areas, from this date. (GOV.UK). |
| 1st | If you hold a water abstraction licence, from 1st April the Environment Agency will generate and send you your annual bill (or first-part charge if you hold a two-part tariff agreement) for the forthcoming financial year (GOV.UK). |
| 16th | You must not burn heather, rough grass, bracken, gorse or vaccinium in upland areas from this date. (GOV.UK). |
| 30th | If your farm/land is located within a Nitrate Vulnerable Zone (NVZ), by 30th April each year you must make a record of:
You do not need to record the start and end dates for your use of field sites separately if you record them on your risk map. |
May
| 1st | You must not carry out hedge or tree coppicing or hedge laying from this date. |
July
| 1st | New hedgerow management rules came into force in May 2024. As part of this, the hedgerow management rules on buffer strips will apply from 1st July 2024. |
August
| 1st | Under the hedgerow management rules, if you have notified RPA of your intention to do so, you may be able to cut or trim hedgerows throughout August to sow oilseed rape or temporary grassland during the same August. GOV.UK |
| 1st | Start of closed period for applying organic manure with a high readily available nitrogen content (for example, slurry, poultry manures or liquid digested sewage sludge) to tillage land on shallow or sandy soils except where crops will be sown on or before 15th September. GOV.UK |
| 31st | New hedgerow management rules came into force in May 2024. As part of this, the hedgerow management rules on cutting and trimming, announced that hedgerows covered by the rules must not be cut or trimmed until after 31st August 2024 unless an exemption applies. |
September
| 1st | For any land located in a Nitrate Vulnerable Zone (NVZ), this is the start of the closed period for applying organic manure with a high readily available nitrogen content (for example, slurry, poultry manures or liquid digested sewage sludge) to grassland on shallow or sandy soils. GOV.UK |
| 1st | For any land located in an NVZ, this is the start of the closed period for applying manufactured nitrogen fertilisers to tillage land. GOV.UK |
| 15th | For any land located in an NVZ, this is the start of the closed period for applying manufactured nitrogen fertilisers to grassland. GOV.UK |
| 16th | For any land located in an NVZ, this is the start of the closed period for applying organic manure with a high readily available nitrogen content (for example, slurry, poultry manures or liquid digested sewage sludge) to tillage land on shallow or sandy soils that have been sown with crops on or before 15th September. GOV.UK |
October
| 1st | You can burn heather, rough grass, bracken, gorse or vaccinium on land in upland areas from this date. GOV.UK |
| 1st | For any land located in a Nitrate Vulnerable Zone (NVZ), this is the start of closed period for applying organic manure with a high readily available nitrogen content (for example, slurry, poultry manures or liquid digested sewage sludge) to tillage land on soils which are not shallow or sandy. GOV.UK |
| 15th | For any land located in a NVZ, this is the start of closed period for applying organic manure with a high readily available nitrogen content (for example, slurry, poultry manures or liquid digested sewage sludge) to grassland on soils which are not shallow or sandy. GOV.UK |
| 31st | If you hold a summer water abstraction licence (authorising abstraction wholly within the months of April to October), the Environment Agency will make actual abstraction return forms available to you from 31st October. You then have 28 days to send your readings to the Environment Agency. (GOV.UK). |
November
| 1st | You can burn heather, rough grass, bracken, gorse or vaccinium on land other than in upland areas from this date. (GOV.UK) |
| 28th | If you hold a water abstraction licence, which authorises abstraction wholly within the months of April to October, you may need to report your water abstraction return for the twelve-month period from 1st November 2023 to 31st October 2024. If you need to submit a return, you will receive a notification from the EA at the end of October/beginning of November 2024, and you have until 28th November 2024 to submit your return. (GOV.UK) |
December
| 1st | If you keep sheep and/or goats, you must carry out your annual count of the animals on your holding as of 1st December, enter this into your holding register and complete the inventory by 31st December. You will receive a letter in November which tells you what to do. (GOV.UK) |
The Rules for Farmers and Land Managers webpages on GOV.UK provides further detail on what you must do and specific compliance requirements when you keep livestock or manage land. These are grouped by farming activities rather than individual regulations so you can find the ones that apply to you.
