Codes of Good Agricultural Practice

Welfare Codes for Cattle, Sheep, Pigs and Domestic Fowls can be downloaded on this page.

The Manx Hedgerow Management Code of Best Practice covers both shrub hedges and traditional Manx sod hedges. This leaflet offers practical guidance on hedge management for wildlife, and a list of key best practice points for keeping hedges healthy and diverse. The aim is to encourage the retention and maintenance of traditional stockproof barriers and build on the good practices which have created this valuable resource.

To meet Cross Compliance Standard 16 Field Boundaries, farmers must follow the Code of Best Practice or penalties may be incurred.

Local Environment Risk Assessment for Pesticides (LERAP) should be completed if you intend to use a pesticide within 5m of a watercourse. It will assist you to plan a spraying regime which will protect aquatic wildlife from products which pose most risk to them whilst optimising your area of treated crop. Use of a LERAP is relevant to Cross Compliance Standard 16 where watercourses form a field or other boundary.

Protection of water - Some farm waste materials such as silage effluent, waste milk and slurry can, if released into watercourses, seriously damage the environment as well as causing a health risk to the general public.

Farmers are therefore encouraged and given some financial support to provide adequate storage and safe methods of disposal of waste products.

The Isle of Man Water and Sewerage Authority's 'Code of Good Agricultural Practice for the Protection of Water' is available to download on this page. If having read the Code, farmers still have any queries, especially with the siting and size of storage facilities for waste products, they should contact Simon.Renton@gov.im or Agriculture@gov.im.

The Heath Burning Code provides practical guidance for heathland management techniques. It explains the management requirements contained in the Heath Burning Act 2003 and covers other legislation which must be taken into account when planning heathland management.

To meet Cross Compliance Standard 6 Heath Burning Code, farmers must follow the Code for Registered Heaths and use it as a best practice code for other heaths.

Guidance notes on the 'Welfare of Livestock during Transport Order 2007' are available from: