CSW7: Arable reversion to grassland with low fertiliser input

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

£489 per hectare ( ha ) per year

Action’s aim

This action’s aim is to create a dense and diverse grass sward throughout the year on land at risk of soil erosion or surface runoff.

The purpose is to:

stabilise the soil

reduce nutrient losses

buffer sensitive habitats

reduce the risk of flooding

Where you can do this action

You can do this action on eligible land located below the moorland line that’s identified as being at risk of soil erosion or surface runoff, or important for buffering sensitive habitats.

For the purposes of this action, ‘sensitive habitats’ include:

watercourses and waterbodies (streams, rivers, ponds or lakes)

sites of special scientific interest ( SSSIs ) at risk of diffuse water pollution – you can find these on the MAGIC website

priority habitats – you can find these on Natural England’s priority habitat inventory map or 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

Eligible land type Eligible land cover Compatible land use code

Arable Arable land

Arable crops or leguminous crops

Temporary grassland Arable land TG01

Arable land lying fallow Arable land FA01

Available area you can enter into this action

Total or part of the available area in the land parcel.

Rotational or static action

This action is static. This means you must do it at the same location each year of this action’s duration.

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.

To get paid for this action, you must:

manage the land so there’s a diverse grass sward throughout the year

exclude livestock from the sward during the autumn and winter or as agreed with your adviser

keep a monthly record of stock numbers grazing the land parcels

manage the sward by grazing or cutting with cuttings removed

minimise the cover of bare ground, as agreed with your Natural England adviser

The advice you’re given from Natural England is specific to your land which means (where relevant) you may also need to establish a grass sward using a seed mix agreed with your adviser.

You must not:

apply any livestock manures with more than 100 kilograms (kg) of total nitrogen per ha per year (where you do not use livestock manures, you can use nitrogen fertiliser to supply no more than 50kg of total nitrogen per ha per year)

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

apply any manure or fertiliser between late summer and the end of January to reduce the risk of runoff

supplementary feed except for mineral blocks (non-energy based)

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

relevant invoices including seed invoices

photographs and other documentation

Other actions or options you can do on the same area as this action

You can do the following actions or options on the same area in a land parcel as this action.

Some actions or options can only be done on the same area if they’re done at a different time of year to this action.

Scheme Action or option code

SFI 2024 actions CSAM1, AGF1, AGF2, OFC1, OFM1, PRF1, PRF2, CIPM1, CNUM1

SFI 2023 actions SAM1, IPM1, NUM1

CSHT actions CSP13, CSP14, CSP15, CWS1, CWS3, CSP21, CSP20, CPAC1, CAGF1, CAGF3, CAGF2, CAGF4

CS options OR1, OT1

ES options N/A

You can do the following actions or options on the eligible boundaries of a land parcel entered into this action:

CSHT actions: CWT3, CHRW4

SFI 2024 actions: CHRW1, CHRW2, CHRW3, BND1, BND2, WBD2

SFI 2023 actions: HRW1, HRW2, HRW3

CS option BE3 (management of hedgerows)

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 also need to get:

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

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 to support this action

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.

Choosing a site

This action is not suitable:

on existing grassland, including grassland previously established under an agri-environment scheme

if it will have a damaging effect on sites of archaeological interest

on sites with pests (for example, rabbits, mink, thistles and ragwort) that are not under control, and that prevent land management or threaten the established vegetative cover

Establishing and managing the sward

When preparing a seedbed, remove any subsoil compaction, except on archaeological features.

Sow the seed mix agreed with your Natural England adviser. This may include grass species such as timothy, cocksfoot, crested dogstail, red fescue and smooth stalked meadow grass. It may also include wildflowers such as ox-eye daisy, black knapweed, bird’s-foot-trefoil and common sorrel.

Control weeds and cut regularly in the first 12 to 24 months of establishment to encourage grasses to tiller.

Avoid cutting when the soil is wet to prevent compaction.

Before you cut the sward, check it for signs of nesting birds. Birds, nests and eggs are protected by law, so if you see signs of nesting birds, delay cutting until the birds have fledged.

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

Eligible land type Eligible land cover Compatible land use code

Arable Arable land

Arable crops or leguminous crops

Temporary grassland Arable land TG01

Arable land lying fallow Arable land FA01