CSP1: Difficult site supplement

This action is part of Countryside Stewardship Higher Tier ( CSHT ). You must read the CSHT guidance before you apply.

Duration

5 years

How much you’ll be paid

£93 per hectare ( ha ) per year

Action’s aim

The aim of this supplemental action is to:

support sites that are difficult to manage

retain small fields and existing boundary patterns

The purpose of this is to protect:

habitats from being abandoned

locally characteristic field and boundary patterns

Where you can do this action

You can only do this supplemental action in combination with a base action on eligible land which meets any of the following:

grazing management has been abandoned or is in danger of abandonment

the parcel area is less than 1ha with stockproof traditional boundaries including banks, hedges, walls or wet ditches. Gateways must be less than 3.6 metres (m) wide

On the Isles of Scilly, this supplemental action can be used in combination with a base action on eligible land which meets any of the following:

arable fields on the Isles of Scilly up to 0.4ha in area

total area of arable fields on the Isles of Scilly is up to 5ha, if sub-divided into smaller fields not bigger than 0.4ha – these fields must be bounded by granite walls or salt tolerant shrub hedges (also known as ‘fences’)

pastoral fields on the Isles of Scilly up to 2ha in area

Approval of this supplemental action and where you can use it is at the discretion of your Natural England adviser.

You cannot do this action with CUP3: General moorland management .

Your Natural England adviser will agree with you what other supplemental actions may be needed to meet the intended environmental outcomes. This could include:

CCT6: Coastal vegetation management supplement

CGS16: Rush control supplement

CGS23: Haymaking supplement

CGS24: Haymaking supplement (late cut)

CSP11: Manage scrapes and gutters supplement

CSP12: Rhododendron control and management supplement

CSP16: Keep native breeds on grazed habitats supplement (50-80%)

CSP17: Keep native breeds on grazed habitats supplement (more than 80%)

CSP18: Keep native breeds on extensively managed habitats supplement (50-80%)

CSP19: Keep native breeds on extensively managed habitats supplement (more than 80%)

CSP2: Rewetting supplement

CSP3: Bracken control 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

CSW14: Nil fertiliser supplement

CSW26: Enhanced floodplain storage supplement

CUP18: Manage features for wildfire management (fire and fuel breaks) supplement

CWT12: Wetland grazing supplement

Eligible land

Same as base action.

Available area you can enter into this action

Same or less than the base action.

Rotational or static action

Same as base action.

What to 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.

The advice you’re given from Natural England is specific to your land which means (where relevant) you may need to:

graze the land

reintroduce livestock

keep a monthly record of stock number grazing the land parcels

maintain boundaries and gateways

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

photographs

monthly stock records for numbers of animals grazing

Consents, permissions and licensing requirements

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 advice from your Natural England adviser if you have other historic or archaeological features on your agreement land

get a wildlife licence from Natural England if your activities affect a protected species or their habitat

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 to support this action

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.

Advice to help you do this action

The following optional advice may help you to do this action. Your agreement document will set out all the activities you must do.

Where you can use this supplement

You can use this supplement on sites that need intensive time and labour input. Your Natural England adviser will agree a suitable site with you, in conjunction with the base action for this supplement. They will usually be sites that have difficult access or dangerous terrain that are abandoned or at risk of being abandoned. For example, sites with:

poor accessibility, remoteness or isolation, where it is very difficult to walk or transport livestock to the site or monitor livestock welfare

cliffs or extremely steep slopes or screes

riverside land subject to sudden flooding

islands

mineshafts

landslips or subsidence

gullies

poisonous vegetation from which stock cannot be excluded

regular disturbance by dogs

urban fringe locations

What this supplement is not intended for

It is not appropriate to use this supplement for:

mechanical vegetation control – supplements such as CSP3: Bracken control supplement or a capital item, such as SB1: Scrub control and felling diseased trees may be more appropriate

sites currently grazed to acceptable levels for nature conservation

sites where grazing is not secured for the lifetime of the agreement

small parcels which are not stockproof or not managed individually

Grazing livestock species

Choose the most appropriate grazing animal for the site.

For example:

rocky sites may not suit cattle as they could get injured

sites with a history of dog worrying may not be suitable for ewes or lambs

Eligible land

Same as base action.