RP31: Equipment to disrupt tramlines in arable areas

Find out about eligibility and requirements for the equipment to disrupt tramlines in arable areas item.

• From: Rural Payments Agency and Natural England
• Published: 2 April 2015
• Last updated: 3 February 2025 — See all updates

• Grant type: Capital item
• Land use: Biodiversity, Flood risk, Uplands and Water quality
• Tiers or standalone items: Higher Tier, Mid Tier and Standalone capital items
• Funding (per unit per year): More than £500

This item is part of Capital Grants. You must read the Capital items: guidance for applicants and agreement holders to understand the rules and how to apply.

How much you’ll be paid 

£1,500 per machine.

How this item benefits the environment

This item supports the purchase of equipment which loosens soil compacted in wheeled tramlines.

It will helps reduce:

• surface runoff
• the risk of soil erosion damage
• water pollution

This item can help you protect, recover and improve biodiversity.

Where you can use this item 

You can only use this item with support from Catchment Sensitive Farming:

• on farms with crops or fields that are identified as at risk of soil erosion in your Farm Environment Record (FER)
• to purchase one piece of equipment

Catchment Sensitive Farming provides advice where there are water quality or flood risk issues linked to farming. 

This grant allows the purchase of one piece of equipment.

What you must do to use this item

You must purchase a spiked harrow, rotary harrow or tine device that can have a direct loosening effect on compacted soil in the wheeled tramline area.

Make sure the device is built to attach directly to one of the following:

• a tractor
• a sprayer being towed behind a tractor
• a self-propelled sprayer

Evidence you must keep 

You must keep written support from your Catchment Sensitive Farming adviser and provide this with your application.

You must also keep and provide with your claim:

• photographs of the purchased equipment
• a delivery note with the serial number for the equipment

Read the record keeping and site visit requirements in the Agreement holder’s guide: Capital Grants, Higher Tier capital grants and Protection and Infrastructure grants for more information.

Advice to help you use this item

The following advice may help you to use this item, but you do not have to follow it to get paid. It’s not part of this item’s requirements.   

Picking a location

Areas most likely to benefit from this item include:

• fields connected to bodies of water at risk of failing water framework directive requirements due to diffuse water pollution from agriculture (DWPA)
• designated sites that are failing their condition assessment due to DWPA
• fields at risk of soil erosion as identified in your FER, where slopes are complex or are inclined more than 3 degrees

You can get advice from an agronomist or farm adviser who holds a British Agrochemical Supply Industry Scheme (BASIS) soil and water management certificate (or equivalent).

You can find more information from the Agriculture and Horticulture Development Board on sustainable soil husbandry and the identification of soil erosion issues.

Choose the right equipment

Choose a device that:

• has a direct loosening effect on compacted soil within the wheeled tramline area, which will improve surface infiltration and increase surface roughness
• creates diagonally offset holes (‘pock marks’) to infiltrate the topsoil to a depth of between 7.5 centimetres (cm) and 16.5cm

Where you select a rotary harrow, check the wheel is rimmed with spikes that are offset to each other and are at a right angle to the direction of travel.

Using the equipment

Use the equipment:

• with correctly inflated tyres to reduce tyre compaction within the tramline area
• when machinery passes over the soil for the first time or soon after (such as during the first spray operation)

Using with other measures

Use this item with other measures that reduce soil erosion and water runoff including:

• in-field grass areas
• double headlands to disconnect water pathways

Published 2 April 2015
Last updated 3 February 2025 + show all updates

1. 3 February 2025

   General improvement for clarity.

2. 19 December 2022

   The Where to use this item, Requirements sections of this page have been updated

3. 11 February 2020

   The Keeping records section of this page has been updated

4. 8 March 2017

   Updated for 2017 applications.

5. 29 March 2016

   Information updated for applications in 2016

6. 2 April 2015

   First published.