Management diaries and advice on calculating stocking densities
This is an old version of the page
Date published: 25 January, 2017
Date superseded: 21 December, 2017
If you are awarded a contract under the Agri-Environment Climate Scheme, you will find that, for a number of management options and capital items, you must keep an up-to-date diary to record the management activity you undertake.
Management diaries for your contract will be sent to you at the beginning of each year. This should ensure that we can take account of any mapping changes that occur over the period of your contract and provide you with the most up-to-date information.
If your contract is varied part way through the year you can request an updated management diary, however, if you want to continue to use your original diary please ensure that you update it with the new LPID numbers and areas.
The diary will contain the management requirements for each of the relevant management options and capital items in your contract.
The diary must be completed each time you undertake any action that relates to the management of the option. For example, dates of establishing Wild Bird Seed for Farmland Birds or dates when grass has been mown.
When entering stock information for fields with a grazing plan, you must adhere to the grazing regime detail, (which defines livestock units, livestock type and grazing dates), contained in your approved grazing plan.
You may be asked to make the diary available to us at any time of the year. If we inspect your holding, the inspector will check that the diary is accurate and up to date.
The inspector will also check that the information entered confirms that the correct management has been undertaken.
Failure to complete the diary or the recording of inaccurate information may lead to reduction or recovery of some or all payments. Please see the Breaches and Penalties Guidance for more details.
How to calculate stocking density
Several management options require stocking density to be recorded in the management diary as part of the “activities” within a land parcel.
This section provides information on how to correctly calculate the stocking density.
The number of livestock units should be calculated using the information below:
| Livestock Type | Number | LU per animal | LU |
|---|---|---|---|
| Number of bulls, cows and other bovine animals over two years | x1.0 | = | |
| Number of equine animals over six months | x1.0 | = | |
| Number of bovine animals from six months to two years | x0.6 | = | |
| Number of bovine animals below six months | x0.4 | = | |
| Number of sheep | x0.15 | = | |
| Number of goats | x0.15 | = | |
| Number of breeding sows > 50KG | x0.5 | = | |
| Number of other pigs | x0.3 | = | |
| Number of laying hens | x0.014 | = | |
| Number of other poultry | x0.03 | = | |
| Total LU | = |
| Total Livestock Units (Total of LU column) | = | LU |
| Total Basic Payment Scheme (BPS) Eligible Area (For details of how to calculate your BPS eligible area click here) | = | Ha |
| Stocking Density (Total Livestock Units ÷ Total BPS Eligible Area) | = | LU/Ha |
All livestock maintained on the area in question, including other stock, should be included in the calculation.
The stocking density is arrived at by dividing the total number of livestock units by the eligible area (in hectares).
So, for example, if a Land parcel has 23 eligible Ha and contains: 50 ewes, 10 cows, 6 heifers (26 months old) and 10 calves (8 months old), then the following calculations apply:
50 ewes * 0.15 LU = 7.5
10 Cows * 1.0 LU = 10
6 heifers (26 months old) * 1.0 LU = 6
10 calves (8 months old) * 0.6 LU = 6
Then the stocking density of the land parcel is
(7.5+10+6+6)/23 Ha = 1.28 LU/Ha
This stocking density should be within the range stated in the grazing plan. Any time stock are added or removed from the land parcel, the event should be recorded (indicating what livestock was moved) and the new stocking density should be recorded.
Grazing plans that utilise more than one land parcel at the same time
If you have a grazing plan that uses more than one land parcel at the same time, then when livestock are added or removed, the detail of the event (including stocking density update) should be recorded for each of the land parcels being utilised.
So, if stock can move freely between three different land parcels then each time that stock are added or removed you should specify on each of the three land parcels the details of the stock added or removed and record the new stocking density.