WBD8: Manage grassland to reduce nutrient levels in groundwater - GOV.UK

Contents

1. Duration
2. How much you’ll be paid
3. Action’s aim
4. Where you can do this action
5. Eligible land
6. Eligibility of protected land
7. Available area you can enter into this action
8. Rotational or static action
9. What to do
10. When to do it
11. How to do it
12. Evidence to keep
13. Other actions or options you can do on the same area as this action

This is an action in the Sustainable Farming Incentive (SFI) scheme: expanded offer for 2024. You must read the SFI scheme information to understand the scheme rules and how to apply.

Duration

3 years

How much you’ll be paid

£396 per hectare (ha) per year

Action’s aim

This action’s aim is that there’s an intact grass sward throughout the year, with:

• a medium sward height during the winter months
• minimal bare ground
• reduced level of nutrient inputs applied

The purpose of this is to:

• reduce nutrient inputs to grassland in priority Water Framework Directive (WFD) groundwater failure areas
• help slow or reverse nutrient levels in groundwater

Where you can do this action

You can do this action on agricultural land located below the moorland line that’s:

• managed intensively – this usually means it’s been receiving more than 200 kilograms (kg) of nitrogen per ha per year before it’s entered into this action
• identified as a priority WFD groundwater failure area within the Countryside Stewardship (CS) targeting – you can find this on the MAGIC website
• an eligible land type (as defined in section 5.1 ‘Eligible land types for SFI’ in the SFI scheme information)
• 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

Eligibility of protected land

• Protected land: Sites of special scientific interest (SSSIs)
• Eligibility: Eligible – you must get SSSI consent before you do this action (read section 10.3 ‘SSSI consent’ in the SFI scheme information to find out how to do this)
• Protected land: Historic and archaeological features
• Eligibility: Eligible – you must get a SFI HEFER before you do this action (read section 5.6 ’Land with historic or archaeological features’ in the SFI scheme information to find out how to do this)

Available area you can enter into this action

Total available area in a 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

You must:

• make sure there’s an intact sward throughout the year
• cut or graze the sward in a way that can reasonably be expected to achieve this action’s aim – a medium sward height will usually be an average of around 5 centimetres (cm) to 15cm
• minimise bare ground, so the soil is covered by vegetation and is not directly exposed to the elements

You must not do the following on the grassland:

• plough, cultivate or re-seed it
• carry out supplementary feeding of livestock, except for providing non-energy based mineral blocks
• apply pesticides, except for herbicides to weed wipe or spot treat to control injurious weeds, invasive non-native species, or nettles
• apply manures or fertilisers, apart from when you cut the grassland for hay or silage

When you cut the grassland for hay or silage, you must not apply more than either:

• 12 tonnes of cattle farmyard manure per ha per year
• equivalent amounts of available nutrients as fertiliser or other organic manures as an alternative to cattle farmyard manure

When to do it

You must do this action from its start date, throughout each year of its 3-year duration.

How to do it

It’s up to you how you do this action, as long as you:

• follow this action’s requirements – these are identified by a ‘must’
• do the action in a way that could reasonably be expected to achieve this action’s aim

Evidence to keep

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

• field operations at a land parcel level and associated invoices
• grazing activity at a land parcel level
• photographs and 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.

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. For example, winter cover followed by a summer companion crop. Read ‘What to do’ and ‘When to do it’ to find out when this action must be done.

If an action or option cannot be located on the same area, you may be able to do it on a different area in the same land parcel. Read section 6. ‘Eligible land in other funding schemes’ in the SFI scheme information for more details.

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

• SFI 2024 actions: CHRW1, CHRW2, CHRW3, BND1, BND2 and WBD2
• SFI 2023 actions: HRW1, HRW2, HRW3
• CS option BE3 (management of hedgerows)
• the introductory level of the SFI pilot hedgerows standard

Published 21 May 2024 Last updated 5 August 2024 + show all updates

1. 2 August 2024

Where you can do this action - replaced ‘intensive grassland’ with ‘managed intensively – this usually means it’s been receiving more than 200 kilograms of nitrogen per ha per year before it’s entered into this action’. An eligible land type is defined in section 5.1 ‘Eligible land types for SFI’ in the SFI scheme information. Removed conditions relating to recommended fertiliser management system and low intensity farmer. Eligibility of protected land - updated link to section 10.3 ‘SSSI consent’ in the SFI scheme information. What to do - deleted ‘well-rotted’ from cattle farmyard manure.

1. 21 May 2024

First published.