HEF6: Manage historic and archaeological features on grassland
What you must do to get paid for this action and advice on how to do it.
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
5 years
How much you’ll be paid
£55 per hectare (ha) per year
Action’s aim
This action’s aim is that there’s a well-managed, intact grass sward or vegetation throughout the year which:
- covers an historic or archaeological feature
- has minimal bare ground, scrub, bracken or pernicious weeds
The purpose of this is to:
- protect historic and archaeological features
- help maintain and conserve landscape character
Where you can do this action
You can do this action on agricultural land that’s:
- identified on your SFI Historic Environment Farm Environment Record (HEFER) as containing an historic or archaeological feature – you must get a SFI HEFER before you apply for this action
- 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 that’s compatible with the eligible land cover
You cannot do this action on land parcels of more than 15ha above the moorland line.
Eligible land
| Eligible land type | Eligible land cover | Compatible land use code |
|---|---|---|
| Permanent grassland | Permanent grassland | PG01 |
Eligibility of protected land
| Protected land | Eligibility | |
|---|---|---|
| Sites of special scientific interest (SSSIs) | 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) | |
| Historic and archaeological features | Eligible – you must get a SFI HEFER before you apply for 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 or part of the 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 manage the area containing the historic or archaeological feature in a way that can reasonably be expected to achieve this action’s aim. This includes:
- maintaining a continuous grass sward or vegetation cover
- minimising bare ground, scrub, bracken and pernicious weeds
You must not:
- plough, cultivate, re-seed, harrow or roll the grassland
- carry out supplementary feeding on or within around 6 metres (m) of the historic or archaeological feature
- locate vehicle or stock access routes within around 6m of the historic or archaeological feature (existing surfaced tracks can be used)
Before you remove scrub or trees, you must get any relevant consents, permissions or licences. For example, you may need to apply for:
- a felling licence from the Forestry Commission
- a forestry environmental impact assessment (EIA) from the Forestry Commission
- an agriculture EIA ‘screening decision’ from Natural England
Read section 10 ‘Get all necessary regulatory consents, permissions and licences in place’ in the SFI scheme information.
When to do it
You must do this action from its start date, throughout each year of this action’s 5-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
You may find it helpful to read the ‘advice to help you do this action’, but it’s not part of this action’s requirements.
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
- 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.
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.
| Scheme | Action or option codes | |
|---|---|---|
| SFI 2024 actions | OFC1, OFC2, OFM1, OFM2, PRF2, CIPM1, CMOR1, CNUM1, CSAM1 | |
| SFI 2023 actions | IPM1, MOR1, NUM1, SAM1 | |
| CS options | OR1, OR2, OT1, OT2 | |
| ES options | No ES revenue options | |
| SFI pilot standards | No area-based SFI pilot standards |
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
Advice to help you do this action
The following advice may help you to do this action, but it’s not part of this action’s requirements.
Managing historic and archaeological features on grassland
To help you achieve this action’s aim, you can graze the grassland with livestock or cut it.
To support grazing you may need capital items such as:
- fencing
- gates
- troughs
You can apply for capital grants to help you do this.
You’ll need to check if you need consent to install these items on a scheduled monument. Read section 10 ‘Get all necessary regulatory consents, permissions and licences in place’ of the SFI scheme information for more details.
Grazing grassland
You can manage livestock to avoid:
- overgrazing, which can cause erosion or bare patches
- undergrazing, which can cause scrub to develop
Grazing with smaller and lighter livestock (such as sheep) can:
- reduce the risk of damage to the historic or archaeological feature
- minimise harm on steep slopes or wetter soils
To reduce poaching and erosion, you can:
- reduce livestock numbers or use lighter animals, such as sheep
- manage the way livestock move around historic or archaeological features by relocating gates or water troughs
- remove heavier livestock like cattle in the winter
Cutting grassland
If you manage the grassland by mowing or strimming, try to avoid the ground becoming compacted.
To minimise damage to the historic or archaeological features, you can avoid:
- cutting when the ground is too wet
- using flail mowers
- clipping the features by mowing too close
- mowing on steep earthworks
Using higher cutting heights can avoid scalping. Where possible, try to mow at right-angles on linear earthworks, rather than following the feature.
Adding manure or fertiliser
If you apply manure or fertiliser, try to avoid causing damage to the historic or archaeological feature with the machinery you use.
Wherever possible, keep manure heaps away from the historic or archaeological features as:
- these can create bare patches when removed and encourage weeds
- runoff from stored manure can damage buried historic or archaeological features
Managing plants and scrub
Plants with deep roots can damage underground historic or archaeological features. These include:
- bracken
- nettles
- Japanese knotweed
- scrub and trees
To prevent damage to the historic or archaeological features, you can:
- control vegetations with hand tools and chemicals, instead of mechanical cutting or crushing
- apply chemicals on foot or use light machinery, to avoid ground compaction and disturbance
- cut and treat stems, rather than uproot or dig out plants
Where possible, you can remove scrub or trees to prevent damage to the historic or archaeological features. You’ll usually need a felling licence from the Forestry Commission before you can fell growing trees. Read section 10 ‘Get all necessary regulatory consents, permissions and licences in place’ of the SFI scheme information for more details.
Updates to this page
Last updated 15 August 2024 + show all updates
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UPL1, UPL2 and UPL3 removed from SFI 2024 actions.
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Where you can do this action - an eligible land type is defined in section 5.1 ‘Eligible land types for SFI’ in the SFI scheme information. Eligibility of protected land - updated link to section 10.3 ‘SSSI consent’ in the SFI scheme information. What to do - added consents, permissions or licences you may need to apply for before you remove scrub or trees. Added link to section 10 ‘Get all necessary regulatory consents, permissions and licences in place’ in the SFI scheme information. Published voluntary advice to help you do this action, but it's not part of this action’s requirements.
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First published.