Compliance Management for Arable Farming
Handle Red Tractor standards, spray records, and environmental compliance with digital tools built for crop production.
The Challenge
Arable farmers face mounting compliance pressure from multiple directions: Red Tractor assurance requires meticulous spray records and traceability; environmental schemes like SFI and CS demand field-by-field documentation of management practices; BASIS requirements govern pesticide storage and application; NVZ regulations control fertiliser use; and grain buyers increasingly require detailed crop history from field to gate. Paper-based spray books become illegible in the tractor cab, field records are scattered across notebooks and memory, and assembling evidence for audits or buyer queries means hunting through months of paperwork. With contractor operations, complex crop rotations, and ever-changing pesticide approvals to track, maintaining comprehensive compliance records while managing hundreds or thousands of hectares becomes overwhelming. When the Red Tractor assessor arrives or a buyer questions MRL compliance, you need instant access to complete, accurate records - not a frantic search through filing cabinets.
How Assistant Manager Solves Arable Farming Compliance
Each module is designed to address the specific challenges arable farming businesses face every day.
Checklist Management
Arable farming requires field-level traceability for crop protection products, fertilisers, and cultivations, with equipment compliance critical for Red Tractor, BASIS, and environmental regulations
The Problems
Why This Matters for Arable Farming
- Field operations like spraying, drilling, and fertilising are recorded on paper in the tractor cab, with notes becoming illegible from mud, rain, or simply being forgotten until the end of the day when details are hazy
Incomplete or inaccurate field records mean you cannot prove compliance with spray intervals, demonstrate environmental scheme requirements, or provide traceability when buyers or auditors request it
- Equipment checks for sprayers, combines, and grain stores are rushed or skipped during busy periods like drilling and harvest, with operators ticking boxes without actually inspecting critical safety features
Unchecked equipment failures lead to crop damage, environmental incidents, or safety accidents that could have been prevented - and you have no records to show proper maintenance was carried out
The Solution
How Checklist Management Helps
Digital field operation checklists with GPS location capture, photo evidence for equipment condition, and automated scheduling for pre-season inspections
Every field operation is recorded with location and timestamp proof, equipment checks are completed before use with photographic evidence, and all records are instantly available for audits or queries
Use Cases:
- • Pre-spraying equipment checks with photographic nozzle verification
- • Field-by-field spray application recording with GPS coordinates
- • Grain store intake and storage condition monitoring checklists
- • Combine pre-harvest safety and maintenance checks
- • Fertiliser application recording for NVZ compliance
- • Contractor operation verification and record capture
- • Environmental scheme management checks (hedges, margins, overwinter stubbles)
- • Seed treatment and drilling operation documentation
- • Harvest quality checks and field yield recording
Feature Screenshot
Checklist Management
Real-World Examples
Example 1: Field operations like spraying, drilling, and fertilising are recorded on paper in the tractor cab, with notes becoming illegible from mud, rain, or simply being forgotten until the end of the day when details are hazy
Real Scenario
"During harvest, your grain buyer queries the spray history for a field showing elevated residues. Your spray book shows three applications but the product names are illegible and there are no dates for the middle application. Without complete records, the buyer rejects the entire load."
Example 2: Equipment checks for sprayers, combines, and grain stores are rushed or skipped during busy periods like drilling and harvest, with operators ticking boxes without actually inspecting critical safety features
Real Scenario
"Your sprayer develops a leak during application, causing a visible spray drift incident. When the Environment Agency investigates, they find your daily check sheets are blank for the past two weeks and the nozzle calibration certificate expired 6 months ago."
COSHH Management
Arable farms must maintain complete COSHH records for BASIS compliance, Red Tractor standards, and HSE requirements, with instant access to safety information critical during product handling and applications
The Problems
Why This Matters for Arable Farming
- Pesticide stores contain dozens of products with changing approval status, and paper-based product inventories become outdated as soon as new products are purchased or regulations change
You cannot quickly access safety data sheets when needed, may unknowingly use products with revoked approvals, and struggle to prove compliant storage during Red Tractor audits
- Safety data sheets are stored in a ring binder in the farm office, meaning operators cannot access them when handling products in the field or during emergency situations
When a spray operator gets product in their eyes or an environmental spill occurs, critical emergency response information is not available at the point of incident
The Solution
How COSHH Management Helps
Complete pesticide register with integrated safety data sheets, automatic product approval alerts, and mobile access to emergency procedures from any location
Every product in your store has current SDS instantly accessible, you are alerted when approvals change, and operators have immediate access to safety information in the field
Use Cases:
- • Pesticide product register with automatic approval status monitoring
- • Mobile access to safety data sheets during field operations
- • Store inventory management with batch number tracking
- • Emergency response procedures for spray operators
- • Product compatibility checking before tank mixing
- • Disposal and waste product documentation
- • Operator training records linked to product handling certificates
- • Environmental emergency procedures (spills, drift incidents)
Feature Screenshot
COSHH Management
Real-World Examples
Example 1: Pesticide stores contain dozens of products with changing approval status, and paper-based product inventories become outdated as soon as new products are purchased or regulations change
Real Scenario
"During a Red Tractor audit, the assessor finds three pesticide products in your store that had their approval revoked 8 months ago. You were unaware because the paper product list was never updated and you missed the BASIS alert emails."
Example 2: Safety data sheets are stored in a ring binder in the farm office, meaning operators cannot access them when handling products in the field or during emergency situations
Real Scenario
"A contractor working on your farm spills concentrated herbicide while refilling the sprayer. He calls you asking what to do. You are 20 miles away and the SDS sheet is in a binder in your locked office. By the time you access it, the product has entered a field drain."
Risk Assessment
Arable farms have seasonal operation risks (harvest, drilling), field-specific hazards (power lines, steep ground), and contractor management obligations that require up-to-date, operation-specific risk assessments
The Problems
Why This Matters for Arable Farming
- Generic farm risk assessments are created once and filed away, never reviewed even as your operations change with new equipment, different crops, or expanded contracting work
Outdated risk assessments do not reflect actual farm hazards, leaving you exposed when HSE investigates an accident or your insurance company reviews safety systems after a claim
- Contractors arrive to carry out spraying, drilling, or combining work without any documented risk assessment for their operations on your specific farm
When a contractor employee is injured on your land, you are jointly liable but have no documented evidence that you assessed and communicated hazards like overhead power lines, steep slopes, or public rights of way
The Solution
How Risk Assessment Helps
Operation-specific risk assessments with photo-annotated hazard maps, automatic review reminders, and contractor risk assessment generation tool
Every farm operation and field hazard is assessed and documented with visual evidence, assessments are kept current with automatic review scheduling, and contractors receive site-specific safety information
Use Cases:
- • Pesticide application risk assessments with drift hazard mapping
- • Harvest operation risk assessments (combines, grain trailers, dryers)
- • Grain store entry and confined space assessments
- • Contractor operation site-specific risk briefing documents
- • Field-specific hazard mapping (power lines, public access, water courses)
- • Machinery operation and maintenance risk assessments
- • Seasonal worker safety assessments and briefing records
- • Lone working risk management for remote field operations
Feature Screenshot
Risk Assessment
Real-World Examples
Example 1: Generic farm risk assessments are created once and filed away, never reviewed even as your operations change with new equipment, different crops, or expanded contracting work
Real Scenario
"A seasonal worker is seriously injured when struck by a telehandler during grain harvest. HSE prosecution reveals your risk assessment for harvest operations is 5 years old, does not mention telehandlers (you bought it 2 years ago), and has never been reviewed despite three near-miss incidents."
Example 2: Contractors arrive to carry out spraying, drilling, or combining work without any documented risk assessment for their operations on your specific farm
Real Scenario
"A contractor spraying for you strikes an overhead power line with the sprayer boom. The operator is not injured but HSE investigation reveals you never provided a site-specific risk assessment identifying the power lines, despite them crossing three of your fields."
Training & Development
Arable farms must demonstrate operator competence for pesticide application, machinery operation, and grain handling under Red Tractor, BASIS, and HSE requirements, with seasonal staff turnover making tracking critical
The Problems
Why This Matters for Arable Farming
- Operator certificates for pesticide application (PA1, PA2, PA6), forklift driving, and telehandler operation are stored in filing cabinets and never checked until an auditor asks for them
Staff operate sprayers or machinery without current certification, creating serious legal liability and automatic Red Tractor non-conformance if discovered during assessment
- Seasonal staff and contractors arrive for harvest or planting with no verification of their competence to operate machinery or handle grain safely
Untrained workers operate expensive equipment incorrectly, create safety hazards, or fail to follow quality procedures, resulting in crop damage, accidents, or grain contamination
The Solution
How Training & Development Helps
Certificate tracking for all operator qualifications, automatic expiry alerts, competence verification system, and online induction training for seasonal staff
Every operator's certification status is tracked with 90-day renewal reminders, you can instantly prove competence to auditors, and seasonal staff complete safety induction before stepping onto the farm
Use Cases:
- • BASIS PA1, PA2, PA6 certificate tracking with automatic renewal alerts
- • Machinery operator competence records (telehandler, forklift, combine)
- • Seasonal worker safety induction with sign-off verification
- • Contractor competence verification before work commences
- • First aid certificate tracking for remote working compliance
- • Grain safety training for store operations and fumigation
- • Environmental awareness training for scheme compliance
- • Young worker risk awareness training for under-18 employees
Feature Screenshot
Training & Development
Real-World Examples
Example 1: Operator certificates for pesticide application (PA1, PA2, PA6), forklift driving, and telehandler operation are stored in filing cabinets and never checked until an auditor asks for them
Real Scenario
"During your Red Tractor assessment, you confidently state your spray operator has current BASIS certificates. When the assessor asks to see them, you discover the PA2 certificate expired 14 months ago. This is a major non-conformance that puts your certification at risk."
Example 2: Seasonal staff and contractors arrive for harvest or planting with no verification of their competence to operate machinery or handle grain safely
Real Scenario
"You hire three seasonal workers for harvest. One claims to have combine experience. On his second day, he overfills a grain trailer which spills 2 tonnes of wheat on the road. Police stop traffic. You later discover he had never operated a combine before."
Accident & Incident Records
Arable farms see seasonal peaks in incidents during drilling, spraying, and harvest, with machinery incidents requiring thorough documentation for HSE, insurers, and continuous safety improvement
The Problems
Why This Matters for Arable Farming
- When accidents occur during busy periods like harvest, incident recording is delayed until "when things calm down", by which time details are forgotten and witnesses have left the farm
Incomplete accident records make defending HSE investigations or insurance claims impossible, and you cannot identify patterns to prevent future incidents
- Near-miss incidents like spray drift, close calls with machinery, or grain store slips go completely unrecorded because staff do not want to "make a fuss" or create paperwork
Warning signs before serious accidents are missed, environmental incidents are not learned from, and you cannot demonstrate a safety culture to insurers or HSE
The Solution
How Accident & Incident Records Helps
Mobile incident reporting with structured forms, GPS location capture, photo evidence, automatic RIDDOR determination, and follow-up action tracking
Every incident is documented immediately with location and witness details, RIDDOR reporting is handled automatically, and you can identify trends across fields, equipment, and seasons
Use Cases:
- • Machinery accident recording with equipment and operator details
- • Environmental incident reporting (spray drift, spills, watercourse pollution)
- • Grain store and confined space incident documentation
- • Near-miss reporting for machinery operation and field work
- • Public interaction incidents (walkers, road users, complaints)
- • RIDDOR determination and HSE notification for serious injuries
- • Contractor incident reporting and investigation
- • Seasonal pattern analysis for harvest and busy period risk management
Feature Screenshot
Accident & Incident Records
Real-World Examples
Example 1: When accidents occur during busy periods like harvest, incident recording is delayed until "when things calm down", by which time details are forgotten and witnesses have left the farm
Real Scenario
"A grain trailer overturns on a farm track during harvest. The driver is shaken but not seriously injured. Three months later, HSE opens an investigation. Your accident book has a one-line entry with no details about the trailer load, track condition, speed, or whether the incident was reported under RIDDOR."
Example 2: Near-miss incidents like spray drift, close calls with machinery, or grain store slips go completely unrecorded because staff do not want to "make a fuss" or create paperwork
Real Scenario
"Over one harvest season, three different workers report that Trailer 2 has "dodgy brakes" but nobody writes it down. In October, a seasonal worker takes Trailer 2 and cannot stop on a slope, crashing through a fence. HSE asks for maintenance records and you have no evidence the brake concern was ever reported."
Results Arable Farming Businesses Achieve
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