What the action involves
This action’s aim is that livestock grazing on moorland is managed to avoid affecting features that are sensitive to damage from grazing, wherever possible.
The purpose is to:
- protect and improve habitats for birds, mammals and insects
- reduce bare ground and soil erosion
- improve water quality
- protect historic and archaeological features
Sensitive features are areas on the moorland that can easily be damaged by grazing or poaching caused by livestock. They include:
- bare ground, peat soils, gullies and steep slopes
- vegetation on wet peaty areas – such as blanket bog, wet heath, upland flushes, fens and swamps
- woody vegetation – such as fragmented heath, mountain heath and willow scrub, dry heath, long degenerate heather, deciduous woodland, and scrub
- grassy vegetation – such as upland calcareous grassland, limestone pavement, purple moor-grass, rush pasture and Calaminarian grassland
- historic or archaeological features, including scheduled monuments – these are identified on your Historic Environment Farm Environment Record (HEFER)
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 take reasonable steps to minimise livestock getting access to sensitive features when they are on moorland by:
- shepherding or herding them away with specific measures (such as using dogs or mineral licks) in specific areas and in specific months
- using temporary fencing if that’s possible
You must also either:
- remove all livestock (except resident ponies) from land entered into this action for at least 4 consecutive calendar months
- follow a stocking calendar which may include a map of livestock exclusion areas (as agreed with your Natural England adviser)
‘Resident ponies’ means ponies which are traditionally kept on the moorland, such as Dartmoor or Exmoor ponies.
You must not supplementary feed livestock on land entered this action, unless this has been agreed with your Natural England adviser, to support the purpose of this action.
The feeding of hay or haylage is permitted in cases of extreme weather for the purpose of animal welfare only.
Extreme weather is defined as 2 or more consecutive days of deep snow or hard frost.
Read more about supplementary feeding in extreme weather in the advice section of this action.
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.
If asked, you must provide a record of shepherding and stocking activity, and include:
- land parcel reference numbers
- hectarage
- dates you plan to graze during each calendar month
- monthly numbers of livestock which will graze the land parcel, including their type and age bracket
- a map of the sensitive features
- photographs of the management undertaken
For each supplementary feed (due to extreme weather or as agreed), you must provide:
- a record of the time and date
- the location using maps and photographs
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.
Where you can do it
You can only use this action in combination with Countryside Stewardship Higher Tier action CUP3: General moorland management.
You can do this action on eligible land that:
- is above the moorland line
- is above the stockproof boundary of enclosed semi-natural vegetation and may include allotments, intakes or newtakes
- contains one or more moorland priority habitats or species, unless you’re also applying for CUP7: Manage non-peat moorland soils for flood and drought resilience supplement, where you do not need one or more priority habitats or species
If a land parcel is located above and below the moorland line, you can enter it into this action if:
- most of the area is above the moorland line
- it’s managed as one grazing unit with adjacent land parcels located above the moorland line
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 available area in the land parcel.
Rotational or static
This action is static. This means you must do it on the same location each year of the 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:
- 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 funding through 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.
