Agriculture Department Publishes Farming Standards and First Inspection Results

The Agriculture Department of the Velocity Interoperability Network today published the eight farming standards that apply to every holding on the register from 6 September 2026. The standards cover soil and nutrient management, water protection and slurry storage, animal welfare on the holding, pesticide storage and application, record keeping and traceability, farm safety and machinery, hedgerows, field margins and watercourses, and grain and feed storage.

The Department also published the results of the 386 inspections carried out under interim arrangements during the transition period from 10 August to 5 September 2026. In 335 cases the holding was found compliant with the standard inspected. Forty advisory notices were issued for minor matters to be put right within 90 days, and eleven improvement notices for matters requiring specified works and a follow-up inspection. No registration was suspended.

Inspections resume under the Department's own programme on 14 September 2026. Every holding is inspected at least once in three years, and holdings with livestock or with an improvement notice outstanding are inspected annually. The standards, the inspection procedure and the full table of outcomes are set out on the Farming Standards page of this site.