Farmers must follow these rules if they apply for payments under the Basic Payment Scheme 2018.
The vast majority of Cross Compliance rules continue to apply as notified in 2017, but the following fact sheets have been updated for 2018 to reflect changes in requirements and good practice:
- SMR 3: conservation of fauna and flora (biodiversity), a change has been made to the introduction to clarify the requirements cover all land, not just Sites of Special Scientific Interest and Special Areas of Conservation
- SMR 8: sheep and goat identification, updated to reflect the new County Parish Holding (CPH) animal movement rules
- GAEC 6: soil and organic matter (maintenance), updated to incorporate the new Environmental Impact Assessment (Agriculture) (Wales) Regulations 2017
- useful contact details have been updated
Changes have also been made to clarify GAEC 5 and 6 of the 2018 verifiable standards, although no new rules have been introduced.