[gsc]

Thanks Grannie Annie.  It does kind of get to you after a bit.

[cornishgirl]

A small holding I beleive is anything under 40 acres - I am just off now to find your previous posting which looks intriguing...... 

[sunshineband]

Glad you have lots of helpful answers here -- best of luck 

[GrannieAnnie]

I just found this, looks interesting!

http://www.rural-smallholdings.co.uk/running-smallholding/setting-up-a-smallholding/

[gsc]

mmmm - interesting article but I guess I am hearing that it won't help me much in that it
"confers no rights onto its holder and is purely for administration purposes".

I guess planning could say "so you have a smallholding number - so what?".

For those of you who have been following my other thread on the subject of planning permission, I am going to leave it to a planning consultant now and let them deal with the council.

Thanks for all your input everyone.

[rustynail]

Hello all

Ive been lurking here for a while, finding lots of useful advice and information, as I have just become a trainee 'Jeeves' to 4 chickens. 

I havent asked any questions yet because every question I have had has been answered on the forum already!

I now have two questions, just out of interest - why register with DEFRA if you have less than 50 hens, and what is the advantage of being registered as a smallholder? I just wonder why invite bureaucracy into your life if you dont have to? Im genuinely wondering what the advantages are - if there are any?

[gsc]

For me I am hoping it will make it harder for the council to refuse if planning permission becomes an issue.

[woodburner]

Are you having trouble with borough or parish?
Having 'seen through' various 'inadequacies' I have some pretty good notions on how to get round them. For starters though, don't be like the lady who wanted to be sure she could legally keep chickens in her garen, and asked all the wrong people.

[gsc]

It's the County Councils planning officers.

I got registered as a small holding today.

[joyfull]

Hello all

Ive been lurking here for a while, finding lots of useful advice and information, as I have just become a trainee 'Jeeves' to 4 chickens.  

I havent asked any questions yet because every question I have had has been answered on the forum already!

I now have two questions, just out of interest - why register with DEFRA if you have less than 50 hens, and what is the advantage of being registered as a smallholder? I just wonder why invite bureaucracy into your life if you dont have to? Im genuinely wondering what the advantages are - if there are any?

/quote]

I have 30+ including chicks and cockerels and I registered with Defra so that in the event of an outbreak of any infectious diseases in my area I would be notified. I think this is quite important as my birds all free range.

[rustynail]

I have 30+ including chicks and cockerels and I registered with Defra so that in the event of an outbreak of any infectious diseases in my area I would be notified. I think this is quite important as my birds all free range.

Ah I see, thanks, Joyfull. I have 4 hens that free range in my back garden when I am at home. Would you still advise registering with DEFRA?

[joyfull]

It can't do any harm and as chicken keeping is addictive you may find that you will soon get more hens 

[gem]

Hello,

Been reading this post and just thought I would add that getting a CPH is mainly used for keeping livestock or poultry over 50.  The number is used for animal movements etc so if you get a CPH this is what its for, if you get one and dont use it you will eventually get taken off the system as they maintain thier records for business use.  You can get a CPH from the Rural ayments Agency and flock numbers for numbers over 50 from Animal Health (both part of Defra).

The main reason you would let Animal Health (Defra) know you have chickens even under 50 is for peroids of notifiable disease. It will mean you can be informed quicker of the situation and whats required from you as a keeper.  They will find you eventually in an outbreak if you are located in the area where the disease is anyway it will just take them a bit longer so its personal choice if you keep less than 50 birds.

Hope that helps

[gsc]

Re. the keeping of less than 50 chickens, wouldn't it also depend on if and what you had in the way of other livestock?  eg the odd pig/goat/sheep.

[Sassy]

For the odd pig, sheep or goat you need to be registered as a smallholding and comply with movement regulations just as a farmer would.

I'm sorry but I have been away and have not read your planning thread. However, closely following 2 lots of planning applications in our village, I can say that the planners including the Planning Inspectorate, will not be swayed by a few animals. They have 'got wise' to people buying in a few cows or whatever in an effort to obtain planning. Both of these were on 11.5 acre and 9 acre plots of land.

As the planning policies are mainly advisory it does depend on what interpretation is put on them by local planners and this can vary greatly from one authority to another. In our area it is the Borough Council that would deal with this sort of planning not the County Council.

As an ex Parish anbd Town Clerk I can confirm that lots of people think they know about planning but you are very wise to go with a Planning Consultant as they will know what they are talking about and be up to date with current policies, which will vary from area to area. A Parish or Town Council cannot stop your planning application - they offer an opinion to the Borough/District Council which should be based on planning regs and not just 'not in my back yard', which the Borough/District Council will take into consideration when making a decision.