Rural Payments and Services

This page provides an overview of what you need to prepare for a pig inspection and the possible outcomes of an inspection.

Pig identification and traceability requirements

All pig keepers must comply with the Pigs (Records, Identification and Movement) (Scotland) Order 2011.

A summary of these requirements is available on the Scottish Government website.

Livestock Identification and Traceability guidance

Cross Compliance

If you are a claimant (claiming direct support payments), you are also subject to cross compliance Statutory Management Requirement (SMR) 6.

You can find a summary of these requirements on the Pig Identification and Registration page.

The Rural Payments and Inspections Division (RPID) carries out pig identification inspections to check that keepers comply with animal identification and traceability requirements.

Pig inspections are selected as part of the Cross Compliance inspection.

We also target inspections if we have evidence that the requirements are not being met.

Inspections enable us to monitor compliance with the requirements, essential for animal disease control and protecting public health. Our inspections are conducted at the business level. This means that during a visit, we need to see all pigs (along with their records) in your keepership even if they are on several holdings.

How you can help

To help the inspection go smoothly, you should:

• tell the inspector about any biosecurity controls
• tell the inspector about any health and safety risks
• make sure livestock handling facilities are safe and in good condition
• present your animals safely for identification checks
• keep your records up to date and easy to access
• retain records for the required period
• register or de-register with the Animal Plant Health Agency (APHA) as required
• correctly identify your pigs
• notify ScotEID whenever you move a pig

Other organisations, such as the Animal Plant Health Agency (APHA) and local authorities, may also carry out inspections.

If you are selected for a pig inspection, all pigs kept by your business will be counted.

Specifically, inspectors will check that:

• pigs are correctly identified
• farm records are kept up to date
• movements are correctly documented
• movements are notified to the ScotEID database

Records check

The first part of the inspection focuses on your records. We will check for evidence that:

• you are registered with APHA to keep pigs
• your registration details are up to date and accurate
• mandatory information appears in your farm records
• you have a system of identification in place when pigs are moved
• you have a system in place for when pigs lose their identifiers
• your pig records are kept up to date
• you have a clear process for movement documents
• you record all mandatory movement information in your records
• movement details in your records match the ScotEID database
• movements are notified within the legislative deadline

Physical Inspection

The number of animals counted will be compared to your records to assess their accuracy.

The cross compliance inspection results letter will be issued and provide the overview of the inspection findings, including any breaches found. It will explain the nature and severity of any breaches and what actions you should take to comply in future.

Cross Compliance penalties

Depending on the severity of the breach, this may lead to a financial penalty.

We use verifiable standards to ensure that breaches are consistently classified in terms of extent, severity and permanence.

For further information on cross compliance, visit the Cross Compliance page.

Overview

As a condition of receiving support payments (including the Basic Payment Scheme), you are required to:

• comply with cross compliance requirements
• permit on-the-spot inspections
• provide reasonable assistance to authorised inspectors
• allow access to land, animals, any relevant equipment, storage facilities and relevant farm records for inspection

These obligations form part of the Single Application Form (SAF) declaration and the wider regulatory framework governing agricultural support.

If you are unavailable

If an inspection has been arranged and you cannot attend or assist:

• you should tell the inspector as soon as possible
• you should cooperate to rearrange where appropriate

If you do not engage or repeatedly fail to cooperate, this may be considered when deciding whether you have prevented the inspection.

Behaviour that may prevent an inspection

The behaviours listed below may be treated as preventing an inspection where they result in an inspection being unable to be completed, including, where required, inspection elements or records that cannot be verified.

Refusal

• failure to make reasonable arrangements to facilitate an inspection
• absence during a notified inspection where access cannot otherwise be obtained
• failure to make land, animals, any relevant equipment, storage facilities and farm records available for inspection
• repeated failure to engage with reasonable attempts to arrange or complete an inspection

Obstruction

• refusing entry to authorised inspectors
• denying access to land, animals, any relevant equipment, storage facilities and farm records for inspection
• deliberately withholding animals or documentation required for inspection
• interrupting or terminating the inspection without reasonable justification
• behaviour that makes it unsafe or impracticable for the inspection to proceed

Force majeure and exceptional circumstances

Your application will not normally be rejected if you were unable to cooperate due to circumstances beyond your control.

You should inform the inspector as soon as possible and provide supporting information where available.

Possible consequences

Failure to cooperate with inspection requirements is a breach of Article 59(7) of Commission Regulation (EU) No 1306/2013

If it is determined that you have prevented an inspection:

• your application for that scheme will be rejected
• you may not receive payment
• payments already made may be recovered

Unacceptable Behaviour

Inspectors must be able to perform their duties safely and respectfully. The Scottish Government defines unacceptable behaviour as actions that hinder staff or cause distress. This is detailed at the Scottish Government Unacceptable Actions Policy.

All pig keepers must comply with the Pigs (Records, Identification and Movement) (Scotland) Order 2011, as amended.

The Pigs (Records, Identification and Movement) (Scotland) Order 2011

The Pigs (Records, Identification and Movement) (Scotland) Amendment Order 2011

Receipt of Direct Payments

To be eligible for subsidy payments, claimants must allow inspections to take place.

The declaration and undertakings of the Single Application Form include agreement to:

Permit the duly authorised officers of SGRPID, or its appointed agents and those persons accompanying them, to enter the farm covered by this application and to inspect land, animals, any relevant equipment, storage facilities and farm records in order to verify the accuracy of the particulars given in my application; and to render all reasonable assistance, including gathering and presenting livestock in a safe and secure manner, to duly authorised officers in making their inspection.

Failure to cooperate with inspection requirements is a breach of Article 59(7) of Commission Regulation (EU) No 1306/2013

An aid application or payment claim shall be rejected if the beneficiary or their representative prevents an on-the-spot check from being carried out, except in cases of force majeure or in exceptional circumstances.

Scottish Government Unacceptable Actions Policy

Unacceptable actions are behaviours or demands that place unreasonable pressure on staff or prevent them from carrying out their duties.

This is detailed at the Scottish Government Unacceptable Actions Policy.

Detailed guidance on pig identification and traceability is available on the main Scottish Government website:

Livestock Identification and Traceability guidance

RPID inspectors use the following documents, which also provide helpful guidance on what to expect during inspections:

Pig ID and traceability (SMR 6) CRF

Pig movement report

These third-party resources also contain useful information that can help you prepare for an inspection:

Farm Advisory Service Scotland

Farm Strong Scotland

RSABI (Supporting People in Scottish Agriculture)

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