Janet Baraclough.. wrote:

Technically it's land that's registered as a smallholding (one step
down from agricultural land). Our last place was registered, from many
years before we acquired it, and every year I had to fill in a Scottish
Office return about the land use, livestock and labour etc. In practice,
lots of people who have upwards of an acre and produce some of their own
food, call it a smallholding although its not registered.

There is no technical definition of a smallholding (at least, not in
England and Wales - Scotland may well be different). All agricultural
land should be registered as a holding (size immaterial) and will be
given a holding number. If livestock is kept, the land *must* be
registered as a holding. The definition I like best (because it defines
it better, not because there is anything wrong with other definitions)
is "a holding of less than 50 acres".


Hedgelaying..try local conservation groups etc; they often want
volunteers and will teach you how. I wouldn't rely on a hedge for
keeping stock inside your boundaries, though.

I agree. The best book, IMHO, (called "Hedging, a practical handbook")
is published by the British Trust for Conservation Volunteers. ISBN 0
946752 17 6.

--
Howard Neil