What the action involves
The aim of this supplemental action is that you make field-dried hay to allow wildflowers and grasses to flower and set seed.
The purpose of this is to:
- help to conserve plants in traditionally managed hay meadows
- provide pollen and nectar for bees and other insects
- improve water quality
- maintain traditional landscape character
What you must do
Your Natural England adviser will assess your land. They’ll work with you to adapt and agree the activities you must do to achieve this action’s aim. All mandatory activities will be set out in your agreement document.
To get paid for this action, you must:
- make field dried hay by turning and wilting
- remove all cuttings
- graze the aftermath or take a second cut if grazing is not possible
The advice you’re given from Natural England is specific to your land which means (where relevant) you may also need to:
- leave an uncut margin around the edge of the field as a refuge for invertebrates and small mammals – you can rotate this uncut area
- remove livestock for an agreed period of time before cutting
- not cut or top before agreed dates for 1 year out of 5 years
You must not cut hay before the end of June, or at a later date agreed with your Natural England adviser.
When to do it
You must do this action each year of its duration.
Evidence to keep
You must keep evidence to show what you have done to complete this action. If it’s not clear that you have done this action in a way that could reasonably be expected to achieve its aim, the Rural Payments Agency (RPA) may ask for this evidence. You must supply the evidence if they ask for it.
The same action appears in the other schemes under a different code. The work is broadly the same; the rate and the length of the commitment are not.
- SFI26 — GRH7: £157 per hectare per year, over 3 years
- SFI26 pays the same rate and commits you for 3 years rather than 5.
Where you can do it
You can only do this supplemental action on eligible land with any of the following Countryside Stewardship Higher Tier (CSHT) base actions:
- CGS26: Manage grassland with very low inputs
- CBE4: Manage traditional orchards
- CBE5: Create traditional orchards
- CGS22: Manage priority habitat species-rich grassland
- CGS21: Manage grassland for target habitats, species or features
- CWD22: Manage wood pasture
- CWD21: Restore wood pasture and parkland
- CWD20: Create wood pasture
- CGS20: Manage wet grassland for breeding waders
- CGS19: Manage wet grassland for wintering waders and wildfowl
Your Natural England adviser will agree with you what other supplemental actions may be needed to meet the intended environmental outcomes. This could include:
- CSP1: Difficult site supplement
- CSP16: Keep native breeds on grazed habitats supplement (50-80%)
- CSP17: Keep native breeds on grazed habitats supplement (more than 80%)
- CSP2: Rewetting supplement
- CSP5: Shepherding supplement (non-moorland)
- CSP6: Cattle grazing supplement (non-moorland)
- CSP7: Introduction of cattle grazing on the Isles of Scilly supplement
- CSP9: Support for threatened species
- CSW26: Enhanced floodplain storage supplement
Eligible land
Same as base action.
Available area
Same or less than the base action.
Rotational or static
Same as base action.
Consents and permissions
To apply for this action, you’ll need:
- Scheduled Monument Consent from Historic England for any work on scheduled monuments
- consent from Natural England for any activity on land designated as a site of special scientific interest (SSSI)
You may need to:
- agree an implementation plan or feasibility study with your Natural England adviser
- get a wildlife licence from Natural England if your activities affect a protected species or their habitat
- get advice from your Forestry Commission woodland officer or Natural England adviser if you have other historic or archaeological features on your agreement land
All historic and archaeological features (including scheduled monuments) are identified in your Historic Environment Farm Environment Record (HEFER).
If you’re a tenant, it’s your responsibility to check whether your tenancy agreement allows you to complete what’s required in the actions you choose. You may need your landlord’s consent.
Capital grants that support it
If you need to complete an implementation plan or a feasibility study before you apply, you can apply for capital grants plans funding.
You can also apply for capital items to help you achieve the action’s aims. Your Natural England adviser will discuss eligible capital items with you.
