Updates to guidance

We've updated some of the capital item guidance, found within the “Table of standard costs (with outline specification)” of the Improving Public Access option, to clarify the requirement regarding taking and retaining photographic evidence.

Improving Public Access

Forestry Grant Scheme - 1 March, 2017

We've updated the Woodland Creation guidance to account for new guidance for Deer Fence - high cost. We've also created a separate page for Vegetatively propagated genetically-improved Sitka spruce. This has meant updates to the Conifer page and Bracken control.

Woodland Creation

February 2017

Forestry Grant Scheme - 24 February

We've updated the list of approved agents in the tree health other eligibility criteria section

List of approved agents

We've updated the self-closing gate for non-vehicular access

self-closing gate for non-vehicular access

Forestry Grant Scheme - 23 February, 2017

We've updated the scoring criteria and clearing guidance

Scoring criteria and clearing

Basic Payment Scheme - Active farming - 22 February 2017

We've updated the guidance for Active farming to include guidance on the "Negative List".

Active farming - undertaking agricultural activity and the "Negative List"

Agri-environment Climate Scheme - 18 February, 2017

We've updated the guidance for claims and payments to add in information regarding claims variation and to remove information regarding on-site administrative inspections for claims over £4,000.

Claims and payments

We've updated the guidance for contract variations to provide more clarity on when a variation may be considered and how to contact us. We've also added to the list of acceptable variations.

Contract variations

Agri-environment Climate Scheme - 16 February, 2017

We've updated the supporting guidance for vulnerable priority species to include an update recording template

guidance for Vulnerable priority species

Forestry Grant Scheme - 16 February, 2017

We've updated the guidance for Forestry Co-operation.

Forestry Co-operation

Agri-environment Climate Scheme - 11 February, 2017

We've updated the guidance Rural Sustainable Drainage System - sediment traps and bunds, to change one of the associated capital items from RSDS - swales to RSDS - wetland

Rural Sustainable Drainage System - sediment traps and bunds

We've updated the guidance for Restoring (protecting) riverbanks to make a small text change in the inspections section

Restoring (protecting) riverbanks

January 2017

Agri-environment Climate Scheme - throughout January 2017

We've been updating a number of different guidance pages throughout January. Details of each change is given on the guidance pages below.

Option / Capital item guidance

Cattle management of small units

Coastal embankment

Conservation of small units

Creation of species rich grassland

Cutting of rush pasture

Habitat mosaic management

Managing steading drainage and rural sustainable drainage

Moorland management

Muirburn and heather cutting

Organic conversion

Organic maintenance

Pond creation and restoration for wildlife

Replacement or planting of individual trees with ancient wood pasture

Restoration of species rich grassland

Restoring (protecting ) river banks

Rural sustainable drainage systems - Ponds

Rural sustainable drainage systems – Sediment Traps and Bunds

Rural sustainable drainage systems - Swales

Rural sustainable drainage systems - Wetland

Slurry storage

Stock disposal

Stubbles followed by green manure in an arable rotation

Wader grazed grassland

Water - use Efficiency - Irrigation Lagoon

Supporting guidance

Away wintering sheep

Habitat mosaic management

Management of floodplains

Organic farming: conversion and maintenance

Open range deer management

Predator control

Restoring (Protecting ) river banks

Rural Sustainable Drainage systems - pond

Rural Sustainable Drainage systems - Swales

Rural Sustainable Drainage systems – Sediment Traps and Bunds

Rural Sustainable Drainage systems - wetland Stock disposal

Water - use Efficiency - Irrigation Lagoon

Procedural guidance

Breaches and penalties ( including AEC Management Diary Non compliance matrix)

Contract variations

FEA (Including FEA table template and example)

Management Diaries (including Management Diary example

Management Option and capital items home page

Mapping

Occupancy of land (including Landlord declaration form)

Targeting

Forestry Grant Scheme - 26 January, 2017

We've updated the guidance for Woodland Improvement Grant, Sustainable Management of Forests and Occupancy of Land to clarify when crofters do and do not need to contact the Crofting Commission or seek their approval.

Forestry Grant Scheme

Capital Grants Technical Guidance - Technical supplements to operations 26 January, 2017

We've updated this guidance to advise you can now claim for CCTV to monitor livestock during lambing and calving.

Capital Grants Technical Guidance - Technical supplements to operations

AECS Scoring Criteria - 23 January 2017

Following feedback from stakeholders the AECS Scoring Criteria has been reviewed for the 2017 application round. The changes are to the following sections:

Scale of Delivery - we will only carry forward the highest score between either in-bye, moorland or diffuse pollution risks from 2017
National Priority Vulnerable Priority Species – additional points will be awarded if more than one vulnerable priority species is targeted
Habitat Linkage – additional information has been provided on how the number of links are calculated and the points per category have been reduced
Long Term Benefit – more detail has been provided on how these points are calculated
Value for Money - Additional points have been awarded for applications under £20,000
Collaborative Approach - more detail has been provided on how these points are calculated

AECS Scoring Critera

Greening guidance - 20 January, 2017

Greening Guidance for 2017 has now been published‎. At the time of publication no scheme changes have been identified for this booklet for 2017. However, the European Commission is currently reviewing Greening as part of Commissioner Hogan's simplification agenda, which the Scottish Government will consider when confirmed.

If, following review, there are changes which impact on 2017, these will be notified as updates to this booklet in due course.

Greening guidance

Basic Payment Scheme - 19 January, 2017

We've updated the Main features page and How to apply to clarify the guidance.

Basic Payment Scheme

National Reserve - 19 January, 2017

We've updated the Sole trader, Partnership, Limited company and Evidence sections with text clarifications to make sure the guidance is consistent.

We've added some extra text regarding allocations in more than one region.

National Reserve

Scottish Upland Sheep Support Scheme - 19 January, 2017

This guidance has been updated with a clarification to the eligibility section to state that it is the claimed area for Basic Payment Scheme which is relevant to this scheme.

Scottish Upland Sheep Support Scheme

Disallowance and penalties - 13 January 2017

We've updated the business and community group payment information.

Disallowance and penalties

Agri-environment Climate Scheme - 13 January 2017

We've updated the guidance for Alternative Watering to add another bullet point under requirements.

Alternative Watering

Agri-environment Climate Scheme - 9 January 2017

We've added a new page covering common application mistakes.

Common application mistakes

We’ve updated the supporting guidance for Retention of winter stubbles for wildlife and water quality to include information regarding the hectarage limit per holding.

Guidance for retention of winter stubbles for wildlife and water quality

We’ve updated the supporting guidance for species rich grassland management with more detail on grazing, completing a grazing management plan and indicating when bracken treatment will not be funded through AECS in terms of the management of scrub, weeds and bracken.

Guidance for species rich grassland management

We’ve updated the supporting guidance for Beetlebanks to include extra guidance on sowing grasses.

Supporting guidance for Beetlebanks

We’ve updated the supporting guidance for Bracken management to expand the guidance on cutting, aerial spraying and follow up treatment.

Supporting guidance for bracken management

We have updated the supporting guidance for management, restoration or creation of hedgerows to inform you that the creation of hedgerows is much more targeted and therefore available on less areas than the management or restoration of existing hedgerows.

Supporting guidance for Management, Restoration or Creation of Hedgerows

We’ve updated the guidance for Diffuse pollution risk assessment to change ‘can’ to ‘must’ concerning individually numbering points on the field map.

Diffuse pollution risk assessment

We’ve updated the 'what you need to apply' guidance with more information on how to refer to the checklist of requirements and to add endorsements to the checks required as part of the ‘further preparation’ for applying to the Scheme.

What you need to apply

We’ve updated the checklist of requirements, located at point 6 (upload supporting documents), in the 'how to apply' guidance.

How to apply

We’ve updated the guidance for water margins in grassland fields to add more information about seeking approval from SNH or RPID if you do not intend to graze or cut a water margin and to update the water margins summary table.

Water margins in grassland fields

We’ve updated the guidance for water margins in arable fields to add more information about seeking approval from SNH or RPID if you do not intend to graze or cut a water margin and to update the water margins summary table.

Water margins in arable fields

We’ve updated the supporting guidance for cutting of rush pasture to tighten up some of the language around what you should do including under the heading ‘Complementary options’.

We’ve also added in some further information regarding the 2017 payment rate and removed text relating to the use of glyphosate or MCPA.

Supporting guidance for cutting of rush pasture

We’ve updated this guidance to make some small text tweaks around what you should do and also add in further information regarding what land can be claimed with what options.

Supporting guidance for creation of wader scrapes

We’ve updated the guidance for ancient wood pasture to allow sheep to be used for grazing.

Guidance for ancient wood pasture

We’ve updated the guidance for forage brassica for farmland birds to change the inspections procedure slightly, advising that inspectors will check that a forage brassica crop has been sown for the chosen management.

Forage brassica crops for farmland birds

We’ve amended the guidance for creation of species-rich grassland to update when existing cover should be removed and when the species-rich grassland should be established.

Creation of species rich grassland

We’ve updated the guidance for retention of winter stubbles for wildlife and water quality to amend the payment rate.

Guidance for retention of winter stubbles for wildlife and water quality

We’ve updated the guidance for conservation management of small units to clarify what will be checked during an inspection.

Guidance for conservation management of small units

We’ve updated the guidance for cattle management on small units to clarify what will be checked during an inspection.

Cattle management on small units

We’ve updated the supporting guidance for restoration of species-rich grassland to include more information on when yellow rattle should be sown and further advice on establishing and managing the grassland.

Guidance for restoration of species-rich grassland

Rural Payments and Services