Rural Payments and Services

The aim of this option is to benefit ground nesting birds, particularly waders such as lapwing, redshank, snipe and curlew.

Excluding or reducing the number of livestock in fields where birds are nesting will reduce the risk of damage to their eggs and fledglings from trampling or field operations.

All grassland is eligible, except hill-rough grazings. Areas proposed for this option must be in grass at the point of application or have a grass sward established prior to the first year of management.

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 within the target area shown on this map. It may be possible to apply for this option outside this area where there is strong justification as endorsed by NatureScot.

You can check if this option is available on your holding using the search targeting tool.

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

Submit a Wader Management Plan using this template and complete the online grazing calendar.

If each block that you wish to manage covers more than one field parcel, you need only identify each block with a single map letter.

Where the option is undertaken to benefit lapwing or curlew, each block must extend to at least one hectare. Adjacent fields can be put together as a management area to reach the 1ha requirement.

Note:

If your application is to benefit VPS waders, you may score points if you submit the VPS Recording form, before the application deadline (see further information in this guidance).

You may score additional points if a VPS wader survey has been carried out by a NGO/Project Officer/Ecologist within the last 5 years.

Where there is no suitable survey data from the last five years and you wish to submit 2022 data, we recognise that the application window will close before the surveys can be effectively carried out in the optimum period to record wader use. To accommodate this surveys submitted in support of AECS 2022 applications will be accepted until the 13th of June 2022. The template to be used for the wader survey is provided below.

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

You must either:

• Exclude livestock from 1 April to 12 May inclusive, followed by a period of grazing, or
• Exclude livestock from 15 April to 26 May inclusive, followed by a period of grazing, or
• Restrict livestock by stocking with up to one LU/hectare from 15 March to 15 June inclusive

and:

• Do not harrow, roll or top grass from 15 March until 30 June inclusive
• Do not apply lime, fertiliser, slurry or farmyard manure from 15 March to 15 May inclusive
• You must graze the sward down to remove annual growth to avoid a build-up of matted dead plant material. The sward may contain occasional tussocks of taller vegetation
• 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 not establish new drainage
• If you wish to undertake drainage maintenance, you must have prior written approval
• You must maintain a diary

You can claim £80 per hectare per year.

The following capital items are available to support waders:

• Creation of Wader Scrapes
• Wetland Creation – Field Drain Breaking
• Wetland Creation – Pipe Sluices

The inspectors will check:

• You have managed the same location and extent each year for the duration of your contract

You have either:

• Excluded livestock from 1 April to 12 May inclusive, followed by a period of grazing, or
• Excluded livestock from 15 April to 26 May inclusive, followed by a period of grazing, or
• Restricted livestock by stocking with up to one LU/hectare from 15 March to 15 June inclusive

and:

• You have not harrowed, rolled or topped grass from 15 March until 30 June inclusive
• You have not applied lime, fertiliser, slurry or farmyard manure from 15 March to 15 May inclusive
• You have grazed the sward down to remove annual growth to avoid a build-up of matted dead plant material
• You have not sprayed, unless with prior written notification or approval as appropriate
• You have not established new drainage
• If you have undertaken drainage maintenance, you have prior written approval
• You have maintained a diary

Supporting guidance is available for this option.

Section	Change
Eligibility	Removal of text related to restricted 2021 round.
Application Requirements	Text and template added on VPS wader survey mid February 2022. Updated Wader Management Plan Template and revisions to text.
Management Requirements	Creation of wader scrapes text moved to supporting guidance.

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