Farming: Whole Farm Approach - Related projects
Associated with the Whole Farm Approach programme are the on-farm inspections project and the farm advisory system.
On-farm inspections project
A part of the Whole Farm Approach includes a project looking at on-farm inspections. The aim is to “join-up” inspections, bringing together as many organisations as possible that visit farms to enforce regulatory requirements or undertake routine monitoring. The project is focusing on increased sharing of inspection resource and inspection data to better target inspection activity and reduce the burden on the better performing farms.
Over the next few months, main area of work will be to develop the options for “inspections pilot” to run during Spring 2008. Ideas include:
- Develop ‘Key Indicators’ check sheet to assess “Operator Performance”
- Joining-up cattle identification inspections with routine cattle testing
- Joining-up Environmental elements of inspections between EA, NE, and RPA
- Joining-up government Dairy Hygiene and Farm Assurance dairy inspections
Farm Advisory System
What is the Farm Advisory System?
In order to help farmers meet the standards of modern, high quality agriculture, the EU introduced legislation requiring member states to set up a ‘farm advisory system’ to be in operation by 1 January 2007 (Regulation 1782/2003, article 13).
The aim of Defra’s Farm Advisory System is to provide advice to farmers on land and farm management. The system, offering advice to commercial farms, will help increase farmers' awareness of material flows and on-farm processes relating to the environment, food safety, and animal health and welfare. There are two key elements to England’s FAS:
- An electronic portal integrated into the Whole Farm Approach providing instant access to up to date advice and guidance in a targeted way
- Face-to-face advice, building on existing Defra funded advice programmes
How will this work with the Whole Farm Approach?
The Appraisal element of the Whole Farm Approach will provide a platform that will allow on-line advice to be targeted to the needs of the farmer. The core data set provided by the farmer through the questions in the Appraisal will ensure that the Farm Advisory System has access to information on individual farming practices, allowing relevant advice to be targeted.
Each question within the Appraisal has some form of guidance attached to it, allowing farmers easy referencing between questions and guidance in an integrated way not possible on paper. Farmers are also able to access the advice and guidance, covering a wide range of themes, through the Whole Farm Approach portal without going into the appraisal and search by key word or topic.
This will minimise the likely expenditure of resources both by farmers and in the delivery of face-to-face advice through the Farm Advisory System.
Page last modified: 19 November 2007
Page published: 13 September 2005