YouTemporary mustadjustments tellwere made to some agri-enviroment scheme options and actions in May 2024. If your situation is not covered by the temporary adjustments, contact RPA as soon as you can, if anyou think the extreme weather eventeither:

• means prevents you frommay temporarilynot orbe permanentlyable meetingto themeet optionyour oragreement action requirements
• may forchange the followingarea landeligible managementfor a scheme
• may agreements:impact your reporting of movements of livestock

Please give details about the weather, including the date and time.

• Countryside

  Short-term effects

  When extreme weather means that you cannot temporarily manage your agreement according to the Countryside Stewardship (CS)

• Environmental or Environmental Stewardship (ES) option requirements, you can request a minor and temporary adjustment to those requirements. You need to complete the Minor and temporary adjustment (MTA) form.

  Once you have filled in the form, post the form to us. Or you can scan it, then email it to us and include the following in the subject title:

  • ‘Adjustment request’
  • Sustainablethe Farmingscheme Incentiveyou need to request an adjustment for
  • your agreement or Single Business Identifier (SFISBI) number

  If agricultural land or woodland is flooded

  YouFlooded shouldagricultural tellland RPAor aboutwoodland yourmay changenot ofaffect circumstancesland in writinga CS asor ES agreement, soonif asthe possible,flooding is temporary and withinthe 8land weekswould ofotherwise beingstill ablebe available for agricultural activity. Please write to dous so.and Thisprovide willfurther normallydetail meanto withinallow 8us weeksto ofassess eligibility.

  You should:

  • return the extremeland weatherto eventagricultural occurring,or butwoodland whereuse thisas issoon notas practically possible
  • continue youto shouldmeet explainthe whyrequirements youof couldagreement notoptions tellon RPAthe sooner.   
    affected land parcels

  Long-term effects

  You needshould tocontact includeus yourwhen Singlethe Businessimpact Identifierof extreme weather is more serious and agreementpermanent, number,and detailsprevents ofyou whatfrom options,meeting actionseither:

  • your orscheme requirements
  • your youagreement areobligations unablefor the current year

  When to meet,request anda thepermanent reasonschange

  Extreme weather can be considered under ‘good reasons’ or ‘force majeure’ if you are unable to meet them.scheme Yourequirements mustor explainagreement anyobligations stepsdue youto haveexceptional takenand tounforeseeable establishcircumstances oroutside manageyour thecontrol.

  ‘Force optionsmajeure’ orapplies actionsto ES agreements and what,CS ifagreements anything,with youa willstart stilldate bebefore able1 toJanuary deliver. RPA2023.

  ‘Good reasons’ applies to:

  • CS willHigher useTier thisand informationMid toTier decideand whatWildlife actionOffer toagreements takewith and ifa therestart isdate anyof impact1 onJanuary your2023 payments.or RPAlater
  • CS willCapital tellagreements youfrom the outcome2022 ofapplication anyround, decisionswith inagreement writing.
    start dates from 2022 onwards

  You canmay contactalso RPAneed byto email consider atrequesting ruralpayments@defra.gov.uk ora youpermanent canchange writeto to:

  Ruralfuture Paymentsyears Agency
  POof Boxyour 352
  Worksop
  S80 9FG agreement.

  For For ES and  and CS, agreementsthe only,impact ifmay youresult expectin a permanent change to resumethe normalagreement managementland, byor theland followingfeatures, schemeor year,both. This means that you shouldcan requestno alonger temporarymanage adjustmentthe land according to the requirements of the options in your agreement. TheFor bestexample, waya tohedgerow door thisnewly created woodland that is part of your CS or ES agreement has been destroyed, or as above, part of a land parcel may have been washed away.

  When extreme weather changes your land permanently, you should check whether you need to completemake the Minorcorresponding andchanges temporaryto adjustmentyour (MTA)digital formmaps. OnceIt youis haveimportant completedto let us know if this will change the form,areas youyou’re shouldable returnto itmanage under ES, CS or a Woodland scheme.

  How to RPArequest a permanent change

  For  CS and ES agreements, byyou followingmust email theor instructionwrite into us using the MTAsubject form,title about‘Extreme howweather’, toyour ‘ReturnSingle Business Identifier (SBI), and your form’.agreement numbers. You will need to provide written evidence to show:

  • what has happened
  • how the event means you are unable to meet the scheme rules or agreement requirements or both

You domust notsend needyour toemail contactor RPAletter ifwithin they8 issueweeks aof derogationbeing forable allto agreementsdo containingso. certainThis optionsmeans orwithin actions.8 Orweeks ifof RPAthe publishtime temporaryyou easementsrealise that applyyou tocannot yourmeet circumstances.any Ifof youthe arescheme requirements or agreement obligations. This may not surebe if8 aweeks temporaryfrom easementthe appliesextreme weather event itself.

You will need to prove that, despite taking every care that could have been expected of you, the exceptional circumstances prevented you from meeting your obligations.

Your evidence should include details of the actions taken with an explanation of the events and the dates they occurred.

A Sustainable Farming Incentive (SFI) agreement is affected

Where there is a change of circumstances or your land is affected, you will need to contact RPA. as soon as reasonably practicable. For more information, read the ‘Good reasons for a breach’ in the ‘Checking you’re complying with your SFI agreement’ guidance.

A Sustainable Farming Incentive (SFI) Pilot agreement is affected

WhenWhere extremethere weatheris changesa change in your landcircumstances permanently,or youyour shouldland checkis whetheraffected, you will need to makecontact correspondingRPA changesas tosoon youras digitalreasonably mapspracticable. For more information, read the ‘Good reasons for a breach’ in the SFI Pilot’s terms and conditions.

When Site of Special Scientific Interest (SSSI) land is affected

If SSSI land is affected and you need to carry out remedial work or boundary repairs or both, you may need consent from Natural England before you start any work.

Where you need to carry out emergency works you can do this without Natural England’s consent. However, you must notify Natural England and include details of the emergency as soon as you can.

If a Farm Woodland Scheme, Farm Woodland Premium Scheme or English Woodland Grant Scheme is affected

If you have concerns about a grant scheme that is administered by the Forestry Commission rather than by the Rural Payments Agency, contact them directly using the relevant mailbox. If you’re not sure what that is, email the Forestry Commission.

Deal with dangerous or fallen trees on your land

You do not need a felling licence to fell a dangerous tree or remove a fallen tree.

You should gather evidence that supports your decision that the tree was an imminent danger. If possible, you should take photos (with reference to scale) that show the tree setting and condition before and after felling or if fallen. Other forms of evidence might include maps, site surveys or reports and, importantly, a record that confirms when tree felling took place.

For information on the felling licence process, please read Felling licence: getting permission.

Keeping farm animals and horses in extreme weather

Read about keeping farm animals and horses in extreme weather.

Report animal movements

Animal keepers

Where the welfare or survival of livestock is at risk due to any extreme weather event, as an animal keeper you must move them to a safe location. You should do this as soon as possible, providing it is safe to do so.

Cattle keepers

YouFor cattle keepers, you must record and report cattle movements. You may not be able to report the movements to another holding, or cattle births and deaths, within regulatory deadlines. You must update your farm records and report births, movements, and deaths as soon as possible after moving the animals to a safe location.

If you have any problems:

• keepers in England should contact the British Cattle Movement Service (BCMS) on 0345 050 1234
• keepers in Wales should call 0345 050 3456
• keepers in Scotland should contact Scot EID on 01466 794323

Sheep, goat and pig keepers

For sheep, goat and pig keepers, where it has been necessary for you to move the animals to land on another holding, you may not be able to complete the movement documents normally required before moving the animals. You must update your records with details of the movement and complete the movement documents as soon as possible after moving the animals to a safe location. You can report your movements online using the Livestock Information Service, a movement document will be created and available to print.

If you have already moved or still need to move your livestock inside the 6-day standstill period, the Animal and Plant Health Agency (APHA) will licence these moves. You should contact APHA on 03000 200 301.

Report movements for unregistered calves and cattle under restrictions

You may need to move cattle when some or all of them are very young, unregistered calves that don’t have a passport, or are under one of the following restrictions.

• Individual Movement Restriction (CPP 27)
• Whole Herd Movement Restriction (CPP 28)
• Notice to Identify (CPP 30)
• Notice of Registration (CPP 35)

If you’re moving them to a safe location that is part of the same holding, you do not need to notify BCMS or Scot EID because no movement has taken place off the holding.

If the safe location is on a different holding, you must ask for a movement licence, which will be backdated to the movement date, as soon as possible after the animals have been moved. To do this:

• keepers in England should contact BCMS on 0345 050 1234
• keepers in Wales should call 0345 050 3456
• keepers in Scotland should contact Scot EID on 01466 794323

If the animals without passports are very young calves and ear tags have not yet been fitted, you do not need to fit ear tags before the calves are moved.

You must keep movement licences with your on-farm herd records and update those records with movement details as soon as possible.

Once the extreme weather has subsided, you can return animals to the original holding. You will need to request a further movement licence by calling BCMS, or Scot EID. You will need to give the reference number of the original movement licence. This second licence will only allow you to move the animals back to the holding they came from.

Report delays to TB testing

You should tell Animal Plant and Health Agency (APHA) that you have not or cannot complete your TB test due to flooding.

What happens if site visits are affected

We will postpone any scheduled site visits in affected areas until the situation eases.

Contact us

Email ruralpayments@defra.gov.uk or write to us at:

Rural Payments Agency
PO Box 352
Worksop
S80 9FG

Call us on 03000 200 301