UP3: Management of moorland

How much will be paid

£55 per hectare (ha).

How long this option lasts

This option runs for 10 years, not the standard 5 years for the scheme.

Where to use this option

It is available for Countryside Stewardship Higher Tier on whole or part parcels, but only on parcels:

• above the Moorland Line
• that cross the Moorland Line
• that contribute to a single grazing unit above the Moorland Line
• that contain one or more moorland priority habitats or species
• above the stock-proof boundary of enclosed in-bye land that contain semi-natural moorland habitat vegetation (for example allotments, intakes or newtakes)

Features that can be included in this option

You can include the following features if they are part of the land, even if they are not eligible for the Basic Payment Scheme (BPS):

• bracken
• ditches
• dykes
• scrub including gorse bushes and briar
• scree, rock, outcrops or boulders
• streams less than 4m wide and that take up less than 1ha of the parcel
• ponds less than 1 ha of the parcel
• unsurfaced roads, tracks and paths

How this option will benefit the environment

It will:

• maintain and restore moorland priority habitats and ecosystem function
• maintain and restore species
• protect historic features
• strengthen landscape character

If successful there will be:

• improved condition of moorland habitats and associated species
• enhanced soil management
• reduced diffuse pollution
• improvements to water quality and flood risk management
• historic environmental features with no bare soil or poaching (trampling)
• stabilized and permanently re-vegetated areas that were previously eroded
• historic features unaffected by trees, bracken and scrub
• no animal burrows developing on historic features

Requirements

You will probably need to:

• only graze the land in accordance with the stocking calendar
• stick to the minimum and maximum stocking rates for each month and for different types of grazing animal
• manage vegetation by burning or cutting, using agreed practices
• prevent spread of bracken or scrub on historic or archaeological sites
• carry out a wildfire risk assessment

The agreement will set out what you cannot do. It’s likely you’ll not be allowed to:

• plough, harrow or roll
• cultivate or re-seed
• apply any fertilisers, manures or lime
• apply supplementary feed other than as prescribed
• use pesticides other than as prescribed

Keeping records

You must send the following with your application:

• a map of permitted access routes - you can mark these on any map, including your Farm Environment Record (FER)

On your annual claim you must declare that you have not carried out any activities prohibited by the option requirements.

You must keep the following records and supply them on request:

• copies of the Wildfire Risk Assessment and, where required, the Wildfire Response Plan (agreed with fire service) and Wildfire Management Plan - for guidance and example plans see the Uplands Management Group template or Forestry Commission’s guide
• records of all management activity on the option area for each parcel
• receipted invoices, consents or permissions connected with the work
• a stocking calendar approved by Natural England
• photographs of the extent of scrub and bracken on any historic and archaeological features on the site before works start
• a monthly record of stock numbers by parcel and stock type
• photographs of the extent of scrub and bracken on historic and archaeological features

The detailed requirements for this supplement will be tailored to the Higher Tier site. You should discuss and agree these requirements with your adviser.

Related options

You can locate the following options and supplements on the same area as this option:

• BE3 – Management of hedgerows
• SP3 - Bracken control supplement
• SP5 - Shepherding supplement
• SP6 - Cattle grazing supplement
• SP8 – Native breeds at risk supplement
• SP9 - Threatened species supplement
• UP4 - Management of moorland vegetation supplement
• UP5 - Moorland re-wetting supplement
• UP6 - Upland livestock exclusion supplement
• WT3 – Management of ditches of high environmental value

Advice and suggestions for how to carry out this option

The following advice is helpful, but they are not requirements for this item.

Contact organisations early

Make sure you contact Natural England or other relevant organisations well in advance of making your application.

Biodiversity

This option has been identified as being beneficial for biodiversity. All Countryside Stewardship habitat creation, restoration and management options are of great significance for biodiversity recovery, as are the wide range of arable options in the scheme. Capital items and supplements can support this habitat work depending on the holding’s situation and potential.

The connectivity of habitats is also very important and habitat options should be linked wherever possible. Better connectivity will allow wildlife to move/colonise freely to access water, food, shelter and breeding habitat, and will allow natural communities of both animals and plants to adapt in response to environmental and climate change.

Further information

Read about the regulations on burning heather and grass.

Read Countryside Stewardship: get funding to protect and improve the land you manage to find out more information about Higher Tier including how to apply.