Technical advice line: 03000 200 301 | Email: advice@farmingadviceservice.org.uk

Rules & Regulations

The Farming Advice Service helps farmers understand the legal requirements in English law which they must follow to protect people, livestock and the environment.

On this page you will find FAS content on the rules and regulations set by Defra which include legislation regarding:

  • Keeping livestock (animal health and welfare and protecting the environment)
  • Land management (including protection of landscape features)
  • Use of pest control products
  • Product application onto land
  • Production of plant and seed varieties
  • Management of trees and water
  • Waste disposal
  • Production of compost, biogas, fertiliser and animal feed
FAS website front page

Useful Links:

Technical Articles

Newsletters

  • November 2025 Front Page

    Issue 118

    • FAS availability in December
    • Key dates to be aware of
    • Looking ahead to 2026
    • Remember to submit your Sheep and Goat inventory
    • Agricultural Machinery Emissions – Scoping Research and Decarbonisation Options Assessment
    • FAS Webinars
    • Talking Farming in 2026
    • Tax is Changing in April 2026 – Act Now
    • Modernising Reservoir Safety: Consultation Launching in 2026 
    • Publication of LRO Methodology
    • Reminder - abstraction licence renewal applications
    • Updates from the Farming blog and industry announcements
      • Plans for cleaner air and water with new Environment Improvement Plan and £500m for Landscape Recovery
      • £500m for Landscape Recovery Projects
      • Consultation on Environmental Permits
      • Combinable Crops Contracts - Have Your Say
      • Livestock disease guidance
      • Bird flu (avian influenza): latest situation in England
      • Bluetongue: latest situation
    • Rural Payments Agency Updates and Guidance
      • RPA Helpline opening hours over the Christmas period.
      • Countryside Stewardship (CS) and Environmental Stewardship (ES) update
      • Extreme weather guidance
      • Get ready for your farm visit with RPA's video guides
      • Rural Payments Agency Blog
    • Stay up to date with us
    • How can we help you? 
  • November 2025 Front Page

    Issue 117

    • FAS Webinars
    • Budget 2025 update on agricultural property relief
    • RPA to start making Countryside Stewardship (CS), Environmental Stewardship (ES) and Higher Level Stewardship (HLS) payments from December
    • News from the CSF Team: How a Dorset dairy farm improved its slurry storage capacity
    • Meet the EA's Agricultural Remote Sensing Team
    • Will there be a drought next year? Environment Agency publishes Winter Refill Prospects report including forward-look to Spring 2026.
    • Tree on Farm - Forestry commission CSHT webinars
    • Rural Payments Agency Guidance
    • - SFI Annual Declaration
    • - SFI Rotational Actions Declaration
    • - Get ready for your farm visit with RPA's video guides
    • - Beware of fraud
    • Updates from the Defra Farming blog and industry announcements
  • FAS Newsletter October 2025 Front Page

    Issue 116

    • Book now: Farming Advice Service Webinar - Improving Water Resilience on Farm
    • Animal Movement Rules - a Reminder
    • Countryside Stewardship Mid Tier agreements extended to support sustainable farming and nature recovery
    • Simplifying Payments with GOV.UK Pay
    • EA Case Study: SSAFO improvements at a large Lincolnshire beef unit
    • Summer Water Abstraction Returns
    • Water Abstraction Alerts
    • Have your say in reforming reservoir regulation
    • Updates from the Defra Farming blog and industry announcements
  • FAS Newsletter September 2025

    Issue 115

    • How to contact your local Catchment Sensitive Farming Team
    • How a Somerset dairy farm tackled challenges with slurry storage and silage clamp issues
    • An update on Countryside Stewardship Higher Tier (CSHT) and the Farming and Countryside Programme’s (FCP) annual report
    • Celebrating Young Farmers Week 6-10 October
    • New restrictions for burning on all England upland peat deeper than 30cm, unless subject to a license
    • £12 million to turn brilliant ideas into farm technology
    • Improved TB mapping tool ibTB gives farmers more certainty about disease risks when purchasing cattle
    • Innovate UK BridgeAI: free in-person workshops and online webinars
    • Updates from the Defra Farming blog and industry announcements

Podcast

  • FAS podcast logo

    podcast

    Episode 7

    Nutrient Management with Mel Holloway

    16 mins
  • FAS podcast logo

    podcast

    Episode 5

    Meet the Farming Advice Service Helpline Team

    21 mins
  • FAS podcast logo

    podcast

    Episode 4

    Livestock movement and ID, with Laura Harpham and Ian Cairns

    25 mins

Upcoming Events

  • CSF

    CSF Anglia - Farm Business Update 2026 - Marford Hall, Wheathampstead, Hertfordshire

    This series of events will bring you up to date with the latest topical information for the agricultural an...

    13th Jan 2026
    09:15 - 12:20 (GMT)
    Marford Memorial Hall, Marford Road, Wheathampstead, AL4 8AY

    Reserve a spot

  • CSF

    CSF Anglia - Farm Business Update 2026 - Wortwell Community Centre, Norfolk

    This series of events will bring you up to date with the latest topical information for the agricultural an...

    20th Jan 2026
    09:15 - 12:20 (GMT)
    Wortwell Community Centre Tunbeck Close Wortwell IP20 0HS

    Reserve a spot

  • CSF

    CSF Anglia - Farm Business Update 2026 - Dereham Football Club, Norfolk

    This series of events will bring you up to date with the latest topical information for the agricultural an...

    21st Jan 2026
    09:15 - 12:20 (GMT)
    Dereham Town Football Club, Norwich Road, Dereham, NR20 3PX

    Reserve a spot

Webinar Recordings

  • FAS

    Farm Finance Planning in 2026

    Hosted by the Farming Advice Service with presenter Kev Bevan, farm advisor and agricultural economist, this webinar includes a session introducing approaches to cash flow budgeting and tools for farm accounting, an update on Making Tax Digital for 2026, and a look at the Farming Toolkit for Assessing Nature Market Opportunities.
  • FAS

    Nutrient Management with Mel Holloway

    Mel Holloway, expert farm consultant and FACTS qualified advisor, gave a presentation and Q and A session on nutrient management planning, NVZs, and Farming Rules for Water.
  • FAS

    Practical Nutrient Management Planning with Mel Holloway

    Following the success of our February webinar ‘Nutrient Management with Mel Holloway’ and feedback from attendees, we deliver a more in-depth session with walk-through example for nutrient management planning for different farming systems.

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