AHW8

Establish and harvest a spring cereal crop as whole crop silage, then leave the stubble over autumn and winter. Do not top, graze, or apply fertilisers, manures or lime to the stubble. Insecticide and most herbicide use is prohibited, with some specific active ingredients permitted for herbicides.

This action must be performed annually for 3 years. If starting late, the crop must be sown within the first 12 months. In the final year, the requirements must be met until the end of winter or the action's end date.

The method is flexible, provided all mandatory requirements are met and the action is conducted in a way that can achieve its aim.

You must keep written evidence that land entered into this action is not at risk of soil erosion or surface runoff. You can use the soil management plan produced for CSAM1 or SAM1 to identify this.

You must also keep evidence to show what you’ve done to complete this action, such as:

• field operations at a land parcel level and associated invoices
• photographs or other documentation

If it’s not clear that you’ve done this action in a way that could reasonably be expected to achieve its aim, we may ask for this evidence. You must supply the evidence if we ask for it.

Advice is provided on choosing spring cereal crops, undersowing with seed mixes, selecting suitable locations on free-draining soils, and methods to increase environmental benefits such as linking habitats and varying stubble height.