Rural Payments and Services

The aim of this option is to benefit a range of heathland habitats by reducing or restricting grazing pressure at certain times of the year.

Depending on the type of heath being managed, this will allow flowering plants to flower and set seed during the summer, or protect heath plants from grazing damage over the winter period.

Heaths support a range of important wildlife and biodiversity.

Land that is permanent pasture or rough grazing which contains one of the following heath types is eligible.

• coastal heath
• serpentine heath
• special interest heath
• lowland heath

Eligibility will be defined as per the description of each type of heath.

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

This option is available throughout Scotland.

You must identify on a map the locations of the heath to be managed.

You must manage the same location and extent each year for the duration of your contract.

For coastal heath, serpentine heath and special interest heath

Either, you must graze the site as follows:

• between 1 April and 31 August, exclude all livestock
• between 1 September and 30 November graze the site. The grazing level must not exceed 1.2LU/ha
• if grazing between 1 December and 31 March, graze at no more than 0.075LU/ha

Or, you must adhere to an approved grazing regime defining the livestock units and grazing dates.

For lowland heath

Either, you must graze the site as follows

• between 1 November and the end of February, exclude all livestock
• if grazing between 1 March and 30 April, graze at no more than 0.15LU/ha
• between 1 May and 31 August graze the site. The grazing level must not exceed 0.3LU/ha
• if grazing between 1 September and 31 October, graze at more than 0.15LU/ha

Or, you must adhere to an approved grazing regime defining the livestock units and grazing dates.

For all heath types above

• you must not undertake muirburn, unless you have prior approval
• you must not undertake supplementary livestock feeding, unless you have prior approval
• you must maintain a diary

You can claim:

For coastal, serpentine and special interest heath

• £88.79 per hectare per year up to 30 hectares
• £54.43 per hectare per year for the next 40 hectares
• £3.60 per hectare per year thereafter

These rates apply per contract.

For lowland heath

• £138.37 per hectare per year

The inspectors will check:

For coastal heath, serpentine heath and special interest heath

You have grazed the site as follows:

• between 1 April and 31 August, exclude all livestock.
• between 1 September and 30 November graze the site. The grazing level has not exceeded 1.2LU/ha
• if grazing between 1 December and 31 March, you have grazed at no more than 0.075LU/ha

Or, you have adhered to your approved grazing regime.

For lowland heath

You have grazed the site as follows:

• between 1 November and the end of February, exclude all livestock
• if grazing between 1 March and 30 April, you have grazed at no more than 0.15LU/ha
• between 1 May and 31 August graze the site. The grazing level has not exceeded 0.3LU/ha
• if grazing between 1 September and 31 October, you have grazed at more than 0.15LU/ha

Or, you have adhered to your approved grazing regime.

For all heath types above

• you have not undertaken muirburn, unless you had prior approval
• you have not undertaken supplementary livestock feeding, unless you had prior approval
• you have maintained a diary

Supporting guidance is available for this option.