What the action involves
This action’s aim is that there’s an intact grass sward throughout the year, with:
- a medium sward height during the winter – this is typically between 5cm and 15cm
- minimal bare ground
- a reduced level of nutrient inputs applied
The purpose of this is to:
- reduce nutrient inputs to grassland in priority Water Framework Directive (WFD) groundwater failure areas
- help slow or reverse nutrient levels in groundwater
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:
- ensure the soil on your grassland is completely covered by vegetation to minimise bare ground exposure (as agreed with your adviser)
- reduce or not apply fertiliser or manure
You must not:
- plough, cultivate or re-seed the soil
- carry out supplementary feeding of livestock, apart from providing non-energy based mineral blocks
- apply pesticides – you may be able to use herbicides to spot-treat or weed-wipe for the control of injurious weeds, invasive non-native plant species, nettles or other plants if this has been 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, including:
- field operations at a land parcel level
- associated invoices including seed invoices
- photographs and other documentation
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.
- SFI 2024 — WBD8: £396 per hectare (ha) per year, over 3 years
Where you can do it
You can do this action on eligible land:
- located below the moorland line
- typically receiving more than 200 kilograms (kg) per hectare of nitrogen per year
- identified as a priority WFD groundwater failure area within the Countryside Stewardship targeting and scoring layer on the Magic website
Eligible land
You can do this action on land that’s:
- an eligible land type
- registered with an eligible land cover on your digital maps
- declared with a land use code which is compatible with the eligible land cover
Available area
Total or part of the available area in the land parcel.
Rotational or static
This action is static. This means you must do it at the same location each year of this action’s duration.
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:
- get advice from your Natural England adviser if you have other archaeological or historic features on your agreement land
- get a wildlife licence from Natural England if your activities affect a protected species or their habitat
All archaeological and historic 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
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.
