Information Leaflet
Developing A Grazing Policy
A short guide and checklist for grazing-related issues A conservation grazing policy is a grazing management plan that outlines the aims and objectives for grazing your site(s). It should define: • What management should achieve. • The resources and determine when, how and who should use them. • Who holds what responsibility. • All relevant information required to keep healthy livestock and fulfil legal requirements. The suggestions provided here are only a guide. Use Figure 1 and the Boxes in this leaflet combined with the information in the other GAP leaflets to produce a bespoke policy document that meets your specific requirements. If necessary engage external expert consultants. Circulate the policy widely to all involved with site grazing. Make sure that its contents are fully understood and implemented Box 1. Topics that could be included within your Grazing Policy • Executive Summary. • Introduction. • Policy statement / Working brief. • Grazing impact assessment and potential effect of over- or under-grazing the site. • Infrastructure requirements. • Financial matters. • Livestock health and welfare. • Monitoring the site. • Managerial responsibilities. • Insurance. • References. ©Rare Breeds Survival Trust
Why Bother with a Grazing Policy? • To ensure the desired management can be achieved with the resources available. • To ensure continuity of management over time despite staff turnover, holidays etc. • For the health and welfare of your stock. • To gain support and commitment of colleagues, volunteers and partner organisations. • To demonstrate best practice and transparency to other interested parties. • To enable sites to be managed for multiple uses without conflict (Figure 2). • To ensure legal compliance. • To help secure funding. • To allow continual objective appraisal and improvement of »» Your livestock system performance. »» Cost management. »» Staff skills. Before grazing starts • Ensure resources (political, financial, time / labour, and skills) are in place. • Decide whether you are going to work with graziers or have your own stock. • Undertake a site assessment. This should be done by the registered stock keeper, reserves manager and / or any other competent member of staff. They should »» Estimate best class of stock and stocking density to achieve conservation objectives. »» Complete a risk assessment for the stock. »» Identify >>Any works necessary before grazing can commence. >> Stock checking procedures. >>Anything else relevant for your site!
Grazing Animals Project Original Document 2007; Revised 2019
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Figure 1. Possible contents of a Grazing Policy. Additional information can be found in Box 2 of this leaflet and in the other GAP publications referenced in the footnotes. Note: The topics listed here are just examples – adapt and expand as necessary to produce a document that is relevant for your own site. Introduction and Policy Statement / Working Brief • Overall brief of the policy document and why has it been produced. Include any legal / landowner constraints • Current site – location, size, geology, flora and fauna, public usage, archaeological features etc. – use appropriate maps and diagrams • History of the site • Objectives for land management plus rationale for grazing Grazing Impact Assessment • Benefits of grazing e.g. increase biodiversity, improved soil health, weed control • Risks of grazing e.g. damage to local archaeology, poaching in riparian zones • Grazing regime required to produce the optimum sward height and structure e.g. stock species, breed8 and type, time of year, duration of grazing and stocking densities • Outline how grazing will fit in with other site management objectives, e.g. flora and fauna, landscape, public usage, heritage and local archaeology, legal, grant applications etc.5 • Case studies from other sites
Infrastructure Requirements
Animal Health and Welfare
Managerial Responsibilities
• Ground and vegetation management before grazing starts
• Risk assessments for stock1,3,7
• Use a grazier or keep grazing in-house?2
• Access – include adverse weather plans • Water6 • Fences and gates
4,7
• Handling facilities
4
• Shelter3 • Back-up land / buildings to keep stock when not required on site or during an emergency Financial Matters • Finances for start-up and on-going running costs for infrastructure, stock purchase, equipment, staff costs, veterinary costs etc. • Eligibility for environmental / agricultural payments or other grants. • Will the stock need to produce a financial return? e.g. finishing animals for sale or producing store animals • Marketing produce – Consider product / system assurance schemes e.g. Organic, RSPCA, Red Tractor, Pasture-Fed Livestock Association • Consider producing a business plan
• Health plan3 • Biosecurity3 • Daily stock ckecks3
• Legal requirements for keeping stockBox2 – who is the registered stock-keeperBox2?
• Gathering, handling and transporting stock4 – include animal identificationBox2
• Health and Safety for Staff / Public1
• Supplementary feeding3 – access, storage, where on site will this be done
• Liaison with official bodies e.g. Vet, RPA, APHA, Defra, Trading standards, FSA, RSPCA etc.
• Action plans1,3,4 – for both routine events and all emergencies e.g. managing casualty stock3, following a Tb+ve reactor in cattle etc. Monitoring the Site • Day-to-day3
• Record Keeping e.g. holding register, medicine book, movement recordsBox2
• Liaison with staff, volunteers and public1,5,7 • Staff training • Managing Disputes5 • Delegating to others
• Ecological surveys – medium / long term changes
Insurance
• Fulfilment of payment scheme requirements
• 3rd party for loss, injury or damage • Injury or loss of livestock
• How management may be adapted depending on monitoring results
• Produce sales
For more information see the following GAP publications 1. Mitigating Risk in Conservation Grazing 2. Purchasing Stock and Finding a Grazier 3. Animal Health and Welfare 4. Gathering, Handling and Transporting Stock 5. Grazing sites with Public Access 6. Watering Stock on Site 7. Reducing Stock Casualties on Sites with Vehicular Access 8. Breed Profiles Handbook
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Developing a grazing policy Box 2. Legal Requirements and Animal Identification
These legal requirements may change*. Check your devolved administration websites for up-to date information (the GAP resources webpage has links to these).
According to Defra, the registered stock keeper is the person responsible for the stock (cattle, sheep, goats, equines) on a permanent or temporary basis. S / he does not need to own the stock. In order to keep livestock. • Register the place where you will keep them and obtain a County Parish Holding (CPH) number for it. If you graze multiple sites, check whether »» You require single or multiple CPH numbers. »» You can use a Temporary Land Association (TLA) to link parcels of grazing land to your main holding.
• Register as a keeper with your local Animal and Plant Health Agency (APHA) office. They will issue you with a herd / flock mark. • The stock keeper is legally required to keep »» »» »» »» »»
A holding register. A continuous herd / flock record (can be included in your holding register). A medicine record. A movement book (can be included in your holding register).* Your movement licences.*
• Ensure that your animals are correctly identified (tagged) as required by your country.* • Understand the animal movement reporting system for your country.*
»» If keeping cattle, register with the British Cattle Movement Service (BCMS) which maintain the Cattle Tracing System (CTS) database.* »» If keeping sheep, goats or deer, register with ARAMS (England-or equivalent in Scotland, Wales & NI)*
• Ensure you complete your Annual Returns of sheep & goat numbers. • Make sure you understand the current standstill restrictions. • Be aware of Notifiable diseases e.g. Foot and Mouth, Sheep Scab (in Scotland.) »» These have to be reported to APHA – either by you or your vet.
• Know which Notifiable diseases have to be treated by law (e.g. Sheep Scab in Scotland). • Remember that cattle will require routine testing as part of Bovine Tuberculosis (Tb) control. • Consider using farm management software systems to help with stock identification and management. * Note. At the time of writing, Defra’s livestock movement tracing system is being updated. Check your devolved administration’s website for up to date requirements regarding tagging, passports (for cattle and equines) and movement reporting.
Kevin Caster
Figure 2. Inquisitive cattle watching a volunteer work party
©Rare Breeds Survival Trust
Grazing Animals Project Original Document 2007; Revised 2019
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