Agriculture

Question 1

Give me a typical crop rotation

Answer 1

WW, SB, OSR, WW, W0

Question 2

Contract list headings of a contract farming agreement

Answer 2

Farmer

Contractor

Start date

duration

Access

responsibilities of contractor –

limits on authority
supervision
license to enter on the farm

Responsibilities of farmer

BPS – whether or not BPS is include or not
Assist with cross compliance and greening requirements and obligations to the BPS

Accounts – true and fair view of the farming business shall be kept and available for inspection by each party

Insurance – farmer insure- solely benefit against loss or damage- buildings, fixed equipment or any equipment owned by the farmer

Contractor – solely insure – against such loss or damage farm produce whilst growing and in store, seeds, fertilizers and sprays sundry expenses and property owned by him, personal liability

Banking – bank account – all income and expenses to be done through that Costs

structure and works of typical CFA
responsibilities of work
handling of payments
receipts

Contractor’s charges - 320/ha

Farmer’s retention – 290/ha

Profit share 40/60

Termination

Question 3

Life cycle of a sheep

Answer 3

May run teaser (may run before tup going out)
Tup’s out November
Gestation period 5 months & 5 days
Scanning – 40 day’s after tups
Mid-feb - 6 weeks before laming - anti-abortion injections/ hep p+
April – lambing, dosing ewe before going out
Lambing, weaning withdrawing, tagging 9 months old or when leaving the holding
June/July weaning (10 - 12 weeks)
July clipping/dosing
Live weight gains – 250g per day
34 kg to stores and 45 Finnish (live weight)
Lambs- early finished on grass, late finished on kale

Question 4

Scotland - Under the Basic Payment Scheme cross compliance rules what is the width of the protection zone against hedges?

Answer 4

2m

Question 5

Scotland – When does the Amnesty period for tenant’s improvements end?

Answer 5

13th June 2017 - 12th December 2020

Question 6

Scotland – Who is the Tenant Farming Commissioner?

Answer 6

Bob McIntosh

Question 7

What is an LMF form

Answer 7

It lets rural payment know of any changes to know of any changes to your land

buy, sell or transfer land
change of field boundary
register a land parcel for the first time

Question 8

what is region 1 (last years BPS payment)

Answer 8

Arable, temporary and permanent grass

221 per ha

Question 9

what is region 2 (last years BPS payment)

Answer 9

Rough grazing land

£45 per ha

Question 10

when can you not cut Hedges

Answer 10

1 March until the 31 August

Question 11

Deadline date for submitting SAF Application?

Answer 11

16th May

Question 12

EFA option

Answer 12

fallow land 
Margins
Nitrogen -fixing crops 
Green cover
Catch crops 
Hedges

Question 13

What is EFA

Answer 13

Ecological Focus Area - businesses with arable land in excess of 15 hectares which do not qualify for an exemption need to ensure that 5% of this land is managed as EFA.

Question 14

When is the deadline for BPS entitlement transfers

Answer 14

4th April 2022

Question 15

what is included in BPS application

Answer 15

areas of crops grown,
EFA options and areas used to meet greening requirements
FGS, AECS,
livestock numbers on the holding 1st March

Question 16

what do you need to me eligible to claim BPS

Answer 16

entitlements
be an active farmer 
farm a minimum 3ha of land 
keep up to date records 
comply with greening and good agricultural managements requirements and statutory management requirements

Question 17

region 1 minimum activity

Answer 17

maintaining land is a suitable state for grazing/cultivation

Question 18

region 2 minimum activity

Answer 18

average level of stocking of 0.05lu/ha on all ha for 183 days

Question 19

EFA

Answer 19

over 15 ha of arable ensure 5% is EFA (exemptions over 75% is temp grass or permanent)

Question 20

what are statutory management requirements (SMR)

Answer 20

NVZ
food and feed law

sheep and goat identification (6 months of birth tag or before they leave to holding)(two tags when over 12 months)(replace within 28 day’s)

welfare of farmed animals

cattle identification and registration - (tag within 20 day’s of birth, notify Scoteid within 7 days of birth) (replace within 28 day’s)

implementation by 2026

Question 21

Have you hear anything about what is going to happen to BPS after 2024?

Answer 21

yes some information has been released it is called the National Test Programme. It will be made up of two tracks.

Track one: focus on improving environmental performance and efficiency (soiling testsing, carbon audits, animal health plans)

track two: rewarding farmers for climate and biodiversity outcome they deliver

encourage more farmers to produce food organically and accelerate a reduction in the rise of agrochemicals.

Question 22

what is the cap on BPS payments

Answer 22

600,000

payments over 150,000 - 5% reduction

Question 23

what is a gross margin

Answer 23

sales - variable cost ( dose not include fixed costs)