FAQs » Statutory Management Requirements (SMRs) FAQs
Statutory Management Requirements (SMRs) FAQs
SMR 4 Nitrate vulnerable zones
SMR 7 & 8 Cattle indentification and registration
SMR 8a Sheep and Goats identification
SMR 9 Restrictions on the use of plant protection products
SMR 12 Prevention and control of Transmissible Spongiform Encephalopathies
SMR 13, 14 and 15 Control of foot and mouth disease, certain animal diseases and bluetongue
Q. Currently “general licences” are available to land owners for the killing of pest species including pigeons and crows, and using specific traps - - available from Defra after the Secretary of State signed a derogation from the EU Habitats Directive.
Can we assume that these specially granted licences are still valid and that licence holders can continue to practice the defined means of control stated therein?
A. Yes. The Statutory Management Requirements are simply existing legislation which is now also mandatory as part of cross compliance. The handbook does not give full details of all the requirements, since this would constitute unnecessary repetition. It states clearly in paragraph 119 that ‘if you are following these laws already you will not need to make any changes to meet the SMRs.’
Q. Can I shoot pigeons that are feeding on my rape crop?
A. The Wildlife and Countryside Act 1981 Section 16 allows an authorized person to kill or take pigeons.
Q. If I take my sprayer into the field adjacent to the farm and steam clean the exterior and the washings run off the sprayer and onto and then into the soil do I need an Authorisation? In asking the question I am suggesting that this is the sort of clean off that would occur 2 or three times a year and would be taking off the caked residue of pesticides that forms on the booms. If the field used for cleaning was the last field I had sprayed - and I had just finished spraying it - would I still need an authorisation?
A. The applicant should consult the Environment Agency in the first instance.
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SMR 4 Nitrate vulnerable zones
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SMR 6 Pig identification and registration
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SMR 7 & 8 Cattle indentification and registration
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SMR 8a Sheep and Goats identification
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SMR 9 Restrictions on the use of plant protection products
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SMR 10 Restrictions on the use of substances having hormonal or thyrostatic action and beta-agonists in farm animals
Q. What are the products to be banned in October 2006 for hormonal actions? Does this include sheep sponges and cattle oestrus induction used to tighten sheep and cattle parturition?
A. The change in the legislation in October 2006 will ban oestradiol or its ester-like derivatives for oestrus induction or synchronisation. Your veterinarian or supplier of medicinal products should be able to advice if the products you mention contain such substances.
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SMR 12 Prevention and control of Transmissible Spongiform Encephalopathies
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SMR 13, 14 and 15 Control of foot and mouth disease, certain animal diseases and bluetongue
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Q. Will an inspector monitor a farm to see if calves get colostrum in the required time?
A. No, the farmer will be asked about his current practice.
Q. Would it be non-compliant to use calf pens with solid walls?
A. Yes, the construction of the walls must be such that calves have the potential for contact. It is acceptable to drill holes to perforate the walls (though care must be taken that this does not result in sharp edges). This does not mean that calves should touch each other; it is not a problem for a calf to be next to an empty pen.
Q. Do calves in calf hutches need to be able to touch each other?
A. No, they can be kept apart if a vet had advised to do so due to the risk of spreading disease.
Q. Is tail docking an automatic non-compliance?
A. No, but it shouldn’t be done routinely and only done in response to the advice of a vet. Inspectors will also check that other management practice has been tried recently.
Q. Is hanging chains or a football sufficient to provide enrichment of the environment for pigs?
A. No, pigs need to be able to exhibit normal rooting behaviour and neither of these is considered suitable on their own.
Q. How much light is 40 Lux?
A. It is sufficient to allow you to read a newspaper with ease. It is quite light (similar levels to the corner of a well lit room). The inspector will only measure the levels if it appears too dark and 36 lux will be recorded as a pass to allow for inaccuracies in the meters.
Q. Do piglets in an outdoor system need an area away from the sow with a heat lamp?
A. No, this applies to indoor pigs only.
Q. What is considered an uneven floor?
A. One that would cause discomfort, e.g. stepped so it was difficult for an animal to lie down comfortably.
Q. At the final stages of fattening growers may not have the required space, is this non-compliant?
A. Yes.
Q. Are the welfare requirements new?
A. They are new to Cross Compliance but are existing law, mostly from 2000 replacing earlier farm animal legislation.
Q. Who are the inspectors?
A. Animal Health (formerly called The State Veterinary Service) will be the inspectorate for England, Scotland and Wales. All inspectors will be specifically trained and the majority will be vets.
Q. Will the inspection take place at the same time as an RPA inspection?
A. No, the inspections are not linked to other Cross Compliance inspections but the SVS are trying to ensure there is no duplication. The RPA have been passed information on which farms the SVS will inspect. The inspections stand alone as a large proportion of the inspections are selected on a risk basis.
Q. How will inspections be targeted?
A. In 2007 there will be approximately 1000 welfare inspections across GB which represents 1% of claimants with livestock. 80% of the 1000 inspections are selected on a risk basis.
- 68% selected on scored risk based on the outcome of previous inspections, the time since the last inspection & cattle mortality.
- 12% selected in response to referrals.
20% of the 1000 inspections are randomly selected.
Q. Will a complaint from the public result in a Cross Compliance inspection?
A. Not necessarily. The SVS will continue as at present to visit in response to follow up on specific welfare complaints but only if they find a non-compliance on this visit will a full inspection be triggered.
Q. What will an inspector do on the farm?
A. The inspector is not there to try and find fault, they will record what they see and will talk to the farmer to find out about the management of the animals. The inspector will provide the farmer with a copy of the report and the farmer will be invited to comment and sign to agree that an inspection took place. If there are non-compliances the inspector will talk these through with the farmer and provide advice as at present for all welfare visits.
Q. Will the inspector decide on the payment reduction?
A. No, the inspectors will record what they see, the RPA will decide if this has an implication for payment reduction.
Q. What are the common welfare failures?
A.
Not inspecting frequently enough
Not having sufficient competent staff
Inadequate Lighting to inspect animals
Inadequate records of mortalities at inspections and use of medicines
Inadequate alarms for mechanical ventilation systems, either not having the alarms, or the alarm not working (the inspector will require a test)
Illegal mutilations, for example the late castration of hill lambs using rubber rings
Q. Who should a farmer call if they want details of the outcome of their Cross Compliance welfare inspection?
A. The RPA, not Animal Health.
