Sheep

Becoming a producer

Now that you have started your sheep farm, you must set up essential registrations, insurance, and other administration before you can run a farming business. 

Farm registration

To keep sheep, you must register your agricultural land and farm business with the Rural Payments and Inspections Division (RPID) even if you do not withdraw subsidies. 

You must register within 30 days from the date you first keep sheep. It is free and requires basic information about your farm. 

Register your farm with RPID online or complete this form. 

You will get two numbers:

• Business Reference Number (BRN) for your farm business
• County Parish Holding (CPH) number for your land. You need this number to register your flock and report any movements of animals. 

If you need help, contact your local RPID office. 

Flock registration

Once you have your CPH number (see ‘Registering your farm’), you must then register your flock with the Animal and Plant Health Agency (APHA).

Register your flock by contacting your local APHA office. 

You will get a flockmark which is the identifier for all sheep born and kept on your farm. You will need the flockmark to buy tags and electronic identifiers for your sheep (see ‘Tagging sheep’) and maintain a holding register (see ‘Keeping records’).

Feed business registration

To store and give your sheep animal feed, you must register as a feed business with Food Standards Scotland (FSS). You can register as a feed business online, and it is free.

Setting up your business 

If you earn more than £1,000 per year from sheep farming, you need to register as a sole trader, or set up a business partnership or a limited company. You will also need to pay income tax on your profits and keep records. You might also want to draft a business plan to keep track of your accounts – this guide by the Landworkers’ Alliance is a good starting point.

Rural Payments and Services has an explainer of different types of farm businesses. 

Registering as a food business

To prepare or sell sheep meat or dairy – whether at farm gate, a farmers’ marker, or via retail – you need to register as a food business at least 28 days before you start trading and get your premises inspected. This is free, and you can do it via your local authority. You can find more information on the Food Standards Scotland website here.

Food safety

A Level 2 food hygiene certificate is recommended for being compliant with food safety regulations and can be achieved online. You must also create a food safety management system that follows Hazard Analysis and Critical Control Points (HACCP). 

Find out more about your legal duties around food safety on FSS.

Membership

It can be helpful to register with a membership body, such as the National Sheep Association, Pasture for Life, or the Landworkers’ Alliance, to keep up to date with the latest news and trainings. 

Insurances 

Getting a general liability insurance will cover other people getting injured because of your operations or produce. You can also get specialist livestock insurance to cover stock losses and consider income protection/personal accident insurances. 

Flock Health Plan

You should create an implement a flock health plan to help comply with animal welfare requirements. Create the health plan with your local vet and review it with them annually. 

Quality Meat Scotland has a health plan template in their suggested farm record book. There are also online services to help you create and maintain a health plan, such as the Animal Health Planning System created by SRUC Veterinary Services.

See ‘Maintaining flock health’ for more information about sheep health. mal and Plant Health Agency (APHA) and Food Standards Scotland (FSS).