SW7: Arable reversion to grassland with low fertiliser input
Find out about eligibility and requirements for the arable reversion to grassland with low fertiliser input option.
How much will be paid
£489 per hectare (ha)
Where to use this option
It’s available for Countryside Stewardship Mid Tier and Higher Tier on whole or part parcels but only on one of the following:
- land cultivated for at least 2 years and is identified in the Farm Environment Record (FER) as at risk of soil erosion or surface runoff
- land that has been cultivated for at least 2 years and has been identified as important for buffering sensitive habitats
You must have support from Catchment Sensitive Farming (CSF) to use this option and must meet one of the following conditions.
- You are following a recommended fertiliser management system to plan nutrient inputs across the farm
- You plan to adopt a recommended fertiliser management system within 18 months of the start of the agreement
- You qualify as a low intensity farmer
Related Mid Tier options
You can locate the following options and supplements on the same area as this option.
- OR1 - Organic conversion - improved permanent grassland
- OT1 - Organic land management - improved permanent grassland
- SW14 - Nil fertiliser supplement
How this option will benefit the environment
A dense grass sward in arable fields at risk of soil erosion or surface runoff will stabilise the soil, reduce nutrient losses, and buffer sensitive habitats, such as designated aquatic habitats or terrestrial habitats sensitive to atmospheric nitrogen. It will also reduce surface runoff, which may help to reduce the risk of flooding.
Aims
If you’re selected for a site visit, we will check that delivery of the aims is being met and the prohibited activities have not been carried out. This will ensure the environmental benefits are being delivered.
Throughout the year there will be a diverse grass sward, with at least 5 species in the seed mix, established if necessary in the first year of the agreement, with minimum bare ground.
During spring and summer, graze the sward and/or cut with cuttings removed in late summer after the bird breeding season.
There will be no livestock on the sward during the autumn and winter.
Prohibited activities
To achieve the aims and deliver the environmental benefits, do not carry out any of the following activities.
- Use pesticides, except for herbicides to weed wipe or spot treat injurious weeds, invasive non-native species, nettles or bracken
- Apply any manure or fertiliser between 15 August and 1 February
- 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 per ha of total nitrogen per year
- Supplementary feed except for mineral blocks (non-energy based)
On your annual claim you will be asked to declare that you have not carried out any prohibited activities.
Recommended management
To assist you in achieving the aims and deliver the environmental benefits for this option we recommend that you use best practice.
We recommend that you:
- where it is necessary to reseed, establish a grass sward by 1 October using a seed mixture of at least 5 species (see the ’What to sow’ section below)
- from year 2, manage the sward by grazing and/or cutting to achieve an average sward height of between 5 centimetres (cm) and 15cm in November - remove all cuttings
- exclude all livestock from 1 October to 15 March
- make sure that, by year 2, less than 10% of the area is bare ground
- check for breeding birds before operating machinery or carrying out other activities which may disturb breeding birds or damage their nests. The breeding season tends to run from mid-March until mid-July, but it can start earlier and finish later, depending on the species and the weather
Keeping records
You must send the following with your application.
- Written support from CSF
Where there is uncertainty about whether the aims of the options have been delivered, we will take into account any records or evidence you may have kept demonstrating delivery of the aims of the option. This will include any steps you’ve taken to follow the recommended management set out above. It’s your responsibility to keep such records if you want to rely on these to support your claim.
- Field operations at the parcel level, including associated invoices
- Stock records to show grazing activity on parcels
- Evidence that you are using a recommended fertiliser management system or that you are at low intensity farmer
Additional guidance and advice
The following advice is helpful, but they are not requirements for this item.
How to choose the right location
Use this option in targeted areas to reduce diffuse water pollution. You can also use it to buffer sensitive habitats (such as aquatic habitats designated as Sites of Special Scientific Interest (SSSI)) that are under significant threat from diffuse water pollution. Or to buffer terrestrial sites which are sensitive to atmospheric nitrogen such as priority habitat grassland, heathland, wetland or woodland. For further advice on where to use this option, refer to national and regional targeting guidelines. This option will not be suitable:
- 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
Where you use this option to buffer sensitive habitats, you can combine it with SW14 - Nil fertiliser supplement.
How to manage the sward
- When preparing a seedbed, remove any subsoil compaction, except on archaeological features
- Control weeds and cut regularly in the first 12 to 24 months of establishment to encourage grasses to tiller
- Where cutting, avoid doing so when the soil is wet, to prevent compaction
- Remove any cuttings that will otherwise damage the sward
- Avoid supplementary feeding, except with mineral blocks
What to sow
Tailor the choice of grass species to the soil type and cutting regime. The following species will grow in most conditions and can form part of a basic grass seed mixture:
- timothy (but use with care it is tussocky, vigorous and can become dominant)
- cocksfoot (but use with care it is tussocky, vigorous and can become dominant)
- crested dogstail
- red fescue
- smooth stalked meadow grass
You can increase the environmental benefits by adding wild flowers. Where you add wild flowers, make sure that the grass mixture is not too vigorous. Use fairly robust flower species, such as:
- ox-eye daisy
- black knapweed
- bird’s-foot-trefoil
- common sorrel
Catchment Sensitive Farming
Catchment Sensitive Farming (CSF) provides farmers with free advice and training. You can find more information on CSF support online.
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 Countryside Stewardship: get funding to protect and improve the land you manage to find out more information about Mid Tier and Higher Tier including how to apply.
Updates to this page
Last updated 4 January 2024 + show all updates
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Update to How Much Is Paid
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'Where to use this option' section and references to Catchment Sensitive Farming have been updated.
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New payment rate from 1 January 2022.
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'How this option will benefit the environment' section updated to add reference to terrestrial habitats sensitive to atmospheric nitrogen. 'How to choose the right location' section updated to add reference to buffer terrestrial sites which are sensitive to atmospheric nitrogen.
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'Air quality' added to Land use.
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Option updated for agreements starting 1 January 2022
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The Keeping records section of this page has been updated
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Updated for 2017 applications.
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Information updated for applications in 2016.
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First published.