Rural Payments and Services

The aim of this item is to benefit corncrakes by providing them with suitable habitat to nest and feed successfully.

This item provides both early cover for corncrakes returning from their wintering grounds in April and May, as well as later cover at a time when most of the surrounding grassland has been cut or grazed.

Land that is arable or improved grassland is eligible.

You should not include areas of land covering rocks, scree, water, dense bracken etc. We will check this using the same approach we use to check land for the Basic Payment Scheme.

Assessing your land eligibility

You must combine this item with the Management of Cover for Corncrake option.

You must prepare a map showing the location for the creation on a map.

• you must establish clumps of tall plants, such as iris, nettles, meadowsweet, cow parsley or hogweed, by 1 June of the first year of your contract by transplanting suitable plants
• the area must be either adjacent to an existing field margin (such as ditches or dykes), rocky outcrops or ruined walls / buildings, or a strip within the field, at least five metres wide
• each planted area to be created must be a minimum of 0.05 hectares in size

You can claim £512 per hectare, and you can claim up to a maximum of one hectare per contract.

The inspectors will check:

• the location and extent of the work
• you have established clumps of tall plant, such as iris, nettles, meadowsweet, cow parsley or hogweed, by 1 June of the first year of your contract by transplanting suitable plants
• the area is either adjacent to an existing field margin (such as ditches or dykes), rocky outcrops or ruined walls / buildings, or a strip within the field, at least five metres wide
• each planted area to be created is a minimum of 0.05 hectares in size

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