Rural Smallholdings Magazine

Setting up a smallholding – what you need to know.

I recently made an intensive search of the Internet in an effort to find out what exactly constitutes a smallholding and, if any, what rules and regulations govern them. I have to say it was a lot harder than I had imagined. Even when visiting the appropriate government web sites, I found it impossible to find the information that I was looking for.

So, having failed in finding the information I wanted on the Internet, I approached the governing bodies direct by email, asking them to provide any necessary details. Again, not so easy, and took a few attempts, but finally, I was given the response below by the Rural Payments Agency (otherwise known as the RPA):

Rural Payments Agency – (RPA) Whether you choose to keep a single animal as a pet or operate a commercial enterprise you must register both your own and your land details to obtain an Agricultural Holding or CPH number.

The issue of a CPH number as it is known confers no rights onto its holder and is purely for administration purposes, making tracing of livestock owners easier in event of disease outbreak. Your holding number is your passport through a number of departments, by passing your CPH number they will have immediate access to your details, hopefully making things easier.

To obtain a holding number contact the RPA on the helpline 0845 6037777 and ask to be issued with an agricultural holding number. They will take a few details and within a couple of days you should be issued with your new holding number.

The holding number is referred to as a CPH number and is made up of numbers to represent the County and Parish the holding is located in, along with your own unique farm (holding) number.

For example: CPH 09 / 018 / 0085 09 = County of Derbyshire 18 = The Parish of Church Broughton 85 = The specific Holding (Farm) The RPA will also issue you with a registration document to gain further details of your business. On completion of this form you will be issued with a Single Business Identifier (SBI) number. This will be used whenever you contact the RPA or apply for the Single Farm Payment or other Grant Schemes such as the Entry Level Stewardship Scheme.

Rural Land Registry – (RLR) This is part of the RPA and is responsible for maintaining digital maps showing the location and land area of each holding. It is important that the maps of your holding are correct, as it is this information which will be used to calculate payments under the SFP and the grant schemes.

Any enquiries regarding land registration can be directed to the RPA helpline on 0845 6037777 who will direct questions to the RLR Maintenance unit.

I hope you find the above information helpful in setting up your smallholding, albeit a tad confusing, and not as simple as what it should be.

Article by Rural Smallholdings Magazine