Interactive lesson

Registering your holding, step by step

Interactive lesson: from “do I need to register?” to confirmation — registers, set-up and applicant, land papers, the desk and duties after registering.

Free sample Chapters 1 and 2 (8 steps) are free. The full lesson comes with the Registering as an agricultural holding module. Already bought? Unlock

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The whole lesson as text

1. What registration brings

As soon as you want to sell surplus or claim a grant, the first question at the desk is your holding number.

One number — A holding is a household or business that farms. Registration gives it a number that follows you on every form: in Great Britain a CPH and a business ID, in Ireland a herd number, in the US an FSA farm number.
Grants and sales — Registration usually brings the right to claim grants and payments, an easier — or the only legal — way to sell, and access to advisers.
What it requires — Accurate data on land, animals and partners, reporting every change on time, and records of production and money.
Ask before registering — Registering can change income tax, national insurance or PRSI, US self-employment tax, sometimes benefits such as Universal Credit. If you are unemployed, retired, a student or work abroad, ask first.

Why: Registration means the holding is entered in an official register and has its own number. That number goes on grant applications, livestock papers, invoices and contracts.

Rules differ between England, Wales, Scotland, Northern Ireland, Ireland, each US state and each Canadian province, and they change often.
Ask your questions in writing and keep the answers. Check with the relevant authority where you live.

2. Do you need to register

Not every homestead must register, and not every homestead benefits from it.

Family only — Vegetables, fruit trees and hens just for the house: usually no registration. But in Great Britain 50 or more birds must go on the poultry register.
Cattle, goats, sheep — In the UK and Ireland the land and animals must be registered even for one pig or goat kept for the house: tags, passports, movement records, testing.
Selling surplus — Occasional sales of eggs, honey or vegetables: depends on the country and amount, often yes. Regular sales at a market or the farm gate: almost always yes.
When to wait — In your first year, see how much you really produce. But if you plan a grant, don't wait: schemes often require registration before the deadline, sometimes a year earlier. With livestock, register the land before the animals arrive.

Why: A garden and hens for the family usually don't need it; regular sales at a market almost always do. In between are many cases that depend on the country, state or province.

If the land isn't sorted out, sort the papers first: without evidence of your right to use it, registration is harder or impossible.
Processing for sale (cheese, chutney, sausages) needs the holding registered plus registration or approval of the premises.