Rural Payments and Services

The aim of this option is to benefit chough by providing suitable areas for the birds to forage throughout the year.

Chough require areas of short, grazed grassland, ideally grazed by cattle whose dung supports the insects upon which the birds feed. Additionally, chough will forage in freshly cut silage areas and this option supports a mixture of silage and grazing management.

Not treating these cattle with Avermectin-based wormers will benefit these insects. This option also allows for an early cut of silage or hay to be taken.

Chough benefit from having a variety of foraging habitats available to them throughout the year. Therefore, chough grazed grassland fields are most effective when managed alongside fields under the Chough Mown Grassland option. Where possible, apply the two options in combination to maximise the benefit to chough.

Grassland, including coastal heath, is eligible for this option.

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 in Islay, Colonsay and Oronsay.

You must provide a map showing the locations of the areas to be managed and prepare and submit for approval a chough management plan using the template below. This must include details of proposed grazing/cutting and details of other associated options or capital items to benefit chough.

Your Chough Management Plan must clearly explain what management is proposed per LPID per year for each year of the contract:

This option can be moved around the farm within the normal rotation and on an annual basis.

To maximise flexibility you can manage a different total hectarage each year as long the area you manage each year is at least 90 per cent of the largest area you plan to manage under this option.

The aim is to have a mosaic of cut/grazed fields, so opt for varied management across your holding.

For each field you must either:

• graze the grassland to provide a predominately short sward throughout the year. Patches of taller vegetation (i.e. irises, marram grass) may be present throughout the sward

or:

• take an early cut of silage or hay, not later than 30 June and then graze to keep the sward short
• take two cuts of silage or hay, the first no later than 30 June and the second after the 15 August. If taking two cuts of silage/hay, you must not roll, harrow or fertilise the field for three weeks after the first cut
• If you intend to rotate between grazing, or one/two silage cuts over the five-year contract period, this must be set out clearly in your management plan
• if cutting, hay or silage must be cut in a wildlife-friendly manner

For both:

• you must not treat any livestock with Avermectin-based drugs, unless advised by a veterinary surgeon and with prior written approval
• do not spray, except for the spot-treatment of injurious weeds (requires prior written notification) or treatment of invasive species (requires prior written approval)
• you must maintain a diary

You can claim £87.93 per hectare per year.

You will only be paid for the area that you manage and declare annually.

The inspectors will check:

You have either:

• grazed the grassland to provide a predominately short sward throughout the year. Patches of taller vegetation (i.e. irises, marram grass) may be present throughout the sward

or:

• taken an early cut of silage or hay, no later than 30 June, and then grazed to keep the sward short
• taken two cuts of silage or hay, the first no later than 30 June and the second after the 15 August
• if cut, hay or silage must have been cut in a wildlife-friendly manner

For both:

• you have not treated any livestock with Avermectin-based drugs, unless advised by a veterinary surgeon and with prior written approval
• you have not sprayed, unless with prior written notification or approval as appropriate
• you have maintained a diary

Supporting guidance is available for this option.

Section	Changes
Spatial targeting	Removed links to archived pages of where to find the targeting tool and simplified stating the targeting tool can be found on the Management Options and Capital Items page

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