| Description | Arable Area Payments Scheme - Multi-annual Set-Aside: How to prepare a Management Plan |
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| ISBN | N/A |
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| Official Print Publication Date | |
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| Website Publication Date | December 18, 2002 |
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Arable Area Payments Scheme |
Multi-annual
Set-aside: How to prepare a Management plan |
MULTI-ANNUAL
SET-ASIDE
Para
Introduction 1
What is a management
plan?
2-4
What has to be included in my management
plan? 5-6
Independent endorsement of management
plans 7
Approval of management plans by the
Department's local Area Offices 8-11
When must management plans be
submitted 12-13
How much flexibility do I
have?
14
Protection of other environmental
objectives 15
Possible management plan
options
16
Monitoring of management
plans
17-18
Annex 1: Details of the extent to which plans may vary the
standard management rules
Annex 2: Examples of possible management
plan options
Annex 3: List of organisations who may be able to help you
to prepare and/or endorse your management plan
Annex 4: Example application
MULTI-ANNUAL SET-ASIDE
Introduction
- This leaflet is for farmers who want to enter their
land into Multi-annual Set-aside (MAS), or who already have
land in MAS, and want to maintain that land in accordance
with a management plan rather than the standard set-aside
management conditions set out in the Arable Area Payments
Scheme (AAPS) Explanatory Booklet. This leaflet explains
how to prepare a management plan, who you need to consult
and how to get your plan approved by your local Area
Office.
What is a
management plan?
- A management plan is a document, which describes how
land will be managed and maintained by you throughout the
period, or remaining period, of your MAS agreement. You
should apply to have your management plan approved by using
form IACS 23(2003).
- A management plan is for farmers who, for specific
environmental reasons, want to manage land that they have
entered into MAS in a way which is different from the
normal requirements. Your plan
must record and justify management practices which
depart from the standard conditions set out in the AAPS
Explanatory Booklet but which may be acceptable because
they will produce an environmental gain.
- Possible MAS management plan features might
include:
- Cultivated areas for ground nesting birds
- Limited cultivation for rare or scarce arable
plants
- Wildlife seed mixture/insect pollen/nectar
mix.
What has to be
included in my management plan?
- Your plan must include the following information:
- a brief description of your plan and its
environmental objectives and the expected benefits, eg,
in terms of biodiversity gain and/or landscape and/or
archaeological/historical site protection.
You should be quite specific, in the case of biodiversity
objectives, about the target species and habitats involved
(Section 2 of the application form);
- a clear description, accompanied by a sketch plan
(if necessary), of the MAS land to which the plan
relates. The description must include the field numbers
to be covered by the plan, the cropping history over
the previous three years, a description of the soil
type and a description of the existing environmental
importance (if any) of the particular field or those
adjacent to it (Section 3);
- a detailed description of the management practices
that will be applied (Section 4). In each case, if this
is not already covered by Section 2, an explanation of
why you want to employ a particular management practice
and what environmental (in particular biodiversity,
landscape and archaeological/historical site
protection) benefit you are aiming to achieve. The
biodiversity objectives, including the target species
and/or habitat, need to be clearly stated.
- Your plan is most likely to be agreed where you can
demonstrate how it complements the environmental management
of the whole holding. In some cases, it may help if you
provide some 'whole farm' environmental information in
order to put your proposals into perspective.
Independent
endorsement of management plans
- Before we will consider your management plan, it will
need to be recommended to your local Area Office by an
organisation with appropriate environmental expertise and
recognised as able to give environmental advice. Details of
some of the organisations able to offer environmental
advice are given in Annex 3. This is not an exhaustive list
and we will accept plans endorsed by other appropriately
qualified and/or experienced organisations or individuals.
Where this may have a direct impact on your plan, you are
encouraged to provide details of the organisation's
comments, such as reports on your plan and correspondence
detailing advice to you.
MULTI-ANNUAL SET-ASIDE
Local Area Office
approval of management plans
8. Before you may start managing your set-aside land under a
management plan that you have drawn up, you must first obtain
written approval from your local Area Office.
9. For a management plan to be approved the primary purpose
of the plan must be the achievement of an environmental benefit
or benefits. Your local Area Office will not approve a
management plan where it considers the primary benefit to be,
for example, the improvement of weed control or soil fertility,
or lucrative use.
10. Your local Area Office will only approve plans if it is
satisfied that the management practices are justified on
environmental grounds.
11. In giving approval, your local Area Office will take
advice from its own advisers on the environmental justification
for accepting the management plan.
When must management
plans be submitted?
12. There is no deadline. Provided a plan will run for at
least one year, it may be submitted at any time before or
during the period the land in question is in a MAS agreement.
The only constraint is that plans must be approved by your
local Area Office before they can be applied to the land in
question. The approval process is likely to take approximately
ten weeks.
13. Thus, if you want to have your plan approved before
entering the land into MAS, and it requires the establishment
of a non-standard cover by the beginning of the set-aside
period on 15 January, you are advised to submit it to your
local Area Office no later than the end of the preceding May.
In such a case, your local Area Office would aim to provide you
with a decision by the end of June to allow the timely
establishment of the cover.
How much flexibility
do I have?
14. EU and national legislation impose some requirements
which may not be varied under any circumstances, some which are
optional
and some which may be varied within certain limits. Further
details are at Annex 1.
Protection of other
environmental objectives
15. You must also consider any impact the proposals in your
management plan might have upon wider conservation issues,
including the surrounding landscape, environmental pollution
and historic and archaeological features. Proposals must take
account of the potential for both positive and negative impact
on the environment.
Possible management
plan options
16. Examples of possible plan options are at Annex 2.
Monitoring of
management plans
17. Details of any proposed monitoring should be recorded in
Section 4 of the management plan. You are encouraged to keep a
simple record of monitoring information after the plan has been
approved.
18. Land in MSA managed under a plan will be subject to the
same inspection arrangements as other set-aside land. You must
seek prior authorisation from your local Area Office if you
think you will be unable to meet the terms of your plan or if
you wish to vary it in any way. Failure to do so may result in
your local Area Office withdrawing your consent to manage your
land under the management plan option, in which case you would
be required to revert to compliance with the standard MSA
conditions.
MULTI-ANNUAL SET-ASIDE
Extent to which the standard management
rules may be varied.
EU/NATIONAL RULES WHICH CANNOT BE VARIED:
- The land in question must be eligible for AAPS (see the
AAPS Explanatory Booklet for further details).
- Except in the case of whole fields or land parcels with
permanent boundaries, areas set-aside under this option
must cover a single area at least 0.3 hectares in size and
at least 20 metres wide (0.1 hectares and 10 metres
respectively alongside permanent watercourses and
lakes).
- Areas set aside may not be used for agricultural
production of any sort including the grazing of animals
between 15 January and 31 August (it may be possible to
relax this rule in cases where farmers are registered with
a recognised organic certification body).
- Areas set aside may not be used for any lucrative
purpose incompatible with the growing of arable crops
between 15 January and 31 August.
- Features on or adjacent to set-aside land (eg, trees,
hedges, stone walls, watercourses, ditches, ponds, lakes,
traditional buildings and archaeological remains) must not
be removed, damaged or destroyed.
- Land entered into MAS under a management plan may not
be used to grow non-food crops (other than biomass crops
for energy).
RULES WHICH CAN BE VARIED, SUBJECT TO THERE BEING
AN OVERRIDING ENVIRONMENTAL JUSTIFICATION
- Establishment of green cover: Under the standard
set-aside management rules, with certain exceptions, a
green cover should normally be established by the start of
the set-aside period and is always required to be
established by the start of the set-aside period in year 2.
Under the management plan option, the establishment date
for green cover can be varied or waived altogether, subject
to environmental justification.
ANNEX 1
- Nature of the green cover: The constitution of the
green cover may depart from standard management rules. If
your plan involves the cultivation of crop species, or
involves a mix that is neither unharvestable nor likely to
remain as unharvestable, you will be required to
demonstrate that no commercial gain will accrue.
- Cutting of green cover: You may devise a cutting
regime that suits your plan. If you do not propose to cut
the green cover at all, this must be justified on
environmental grounds and your plan must contain proposals
to deal with any consequential problems, eg, aggressive
weeds. If you propose to cut the green cover within the
period 1 April to 31 July (except in year 1) you must
demonstrate that this is justified and that any
environmental benefit outweighs any detriment (eg, in
relation to nesting birds).
- Cultivation of/or changing the green cover: If you
intend to change or cultivate the green cover during the
course of the agreement, your plan must give details of
this and the reasons. In particular, in the case of
cultivation, your plan must demonstrate that the risks of
nitrate leaching are outweighed by the environmental
benefits.
- Use of fertiliser/pesticide: This is unlikely to
be the norm. However, where proposed, you must provide
adequate justification for their application. The plan must
include full details of timing, type/product and maximum
rate.
- Use of manure and waste: In many cases, the
spreading of manure or waste would have a detrimental
environmental effect. Such use would have to be justified
before a management plan giving discretion in this area was
approved.
- Liming/addition of mineral supplements: It is
extremely unlikely that such applications would be
approved, but proposals would be considered.
MULTI-ANNUAL SET-ASIDE
Possible Management Plan Options
1.
Limited cultivations for scarce or rare arable
plants
OBJECTIVE
- To provide a habitat in which rare arable weeds and
other plants can thrive.
BACKGROUND
- Some plants, typical of arable land have become
very rare. These plants can only survive where ground
is cultivated at the right time of the year and may
have other special requirements. Many of these plants
are attractive and non-competitive and in addition
certain invertebrates and farmland birds are likely to
benefit from this potential additional food
source.
SUITABLE LAND
- The land should ideally have a long history of
arable production (ie, in arable production since 1945)
and is likely to be light, sandy or chalky, and well
drained. Soil fertility should ideally be low. Land
with significant levels of noxious weeds (especially
brome, black-grass, wild oats, couch, ragwort,
cleavers, docks and thistles is unlikely to be
suitable).
- Floristic records or personal observations should
suggest that defined species of arable flora are likely
to be found in the soil seed bank.
- In some circumstances the management plan may only
need to apply to a portion of set-aside land.
HOW TO MANAGE THE LAND
- The land should normally be left to establish a
cover by natural regeneration.
- To encourage germination, you will usually need to
till or lightly cultivate the soil (to a maximum depth
of 6-7 cm, thus avoiding moisture loss). Cultivation
should be in either autumn or early spring depending on
your plan's objective. In
ANNEX 2
some circumstances tillage will not be required every
year.
- Cover should not be cut before 1 August, and
because certain species will not have set seed until
later in the season, the precise cutting date will
require careful consideration.
- Herbicides should not be routinely used. However an
exception would occur where target species were being
suppressed by other abundant species which could be
removed selectively by a specific herbicide, approved
under the Control of Pesticides Regulations for that
purpose.
2.
Cultivated plots for ground nesting birds
OBJECTIVE
- To encourage/produce a habitat in which ground
nesting birds can thrive.
BACKGROUND
- Set-aside can be managed to encourage
ground-nesting birds, such as the lapwing and skylark,
along with rarer species such as the stone curlew in
certain areas. Management will vary according to
whether you want to encourage birds that nest in the
vegetation like the skylark, or bare earth like the
lapwing and stone curlew.
- Multi-annual set-aside allows you to encourage
birds (eg, stone curlew) to return to the same site
year after year.
SUITABLE LAND
- Generally this option is best suited to light, free
draining soils; however, skylarks, grey partridge,
lapwing and golden plover are not restricted to these
soil types.
HOW TO MANAGE THE LAND
- You should either sow a light grass cover in the
first year or on suitable soils allow a light cover to
develop by natural regeneration. A suitable grass mix
might include cocksfoot and red fescue.
- In the spring (no later than 15 March before
nesting begins) you should disc or lightly cultivate
the cover to a depth of 6-7 cm. If part of the field is
being left uncultivated, the cultivated area should be
towards the centre of the field.
- You should keep access to the field to a minimum
when the birds are nesting and there are non-flying
chicks present, either in the field or on the
nest.
- Further discing or light cultivation may be
desirable in the autumn to retain sparse vegetational
cover.
3.
Wildlife seed mixture/insect pollen/nectar mix
OBJECTIVE
To provide a habitat in which declining insect, bird and
mammal populations can thrive.
BACKGROUND
- This management option can provide sources of
pollen, nectar, seed and cover for insects, birds and
mammals.
- With an appropriate mix of natural species, you can
produce an open sward, providing flowering plants for
foraging insects such as butterflies, moths, hoverflies
and bumblebees.
ANNEX 2 (contd)
- Alternatively you may choose to provide foraging
sites for birds such as grey partridges, various
finches and corn buntings and cover for brown
hare.
SUITABLE LAND
- Low fertility is desirable. Sandy soils with low
clay content are preferable, although heavier land that
has been set-aside for several seasons may also be
appropriate.
- Land with a recent history of grassland may provide
greater floristic interest and may not need
reseeding.
HOW TO MANAGE THE LAND
- Establish a spring-sown, grass and legume mix sown
at 10 kg/ha. This is usually best accomplished by
producing a firm, fine tilth in early spring.
- The seed mix should comprise 20% legumes (red
clover, alsike clover, birds-foot-trefoil, hop trefoil,
sainfoin and kidney vetch) with non-competitive grasses
such as crested dogstail, bents, fescues and Timothy.
Scabious and hardheads are also useful additions.
Clover should be mainly late-flowering; varieties with
long corolla tubes would specifically benefit the
long-tongued bumble bee species that have declined most
in recent years.
- Cut regularly (three to six times) in the first
year to control weeds, then annually after
mid-September, ideally alternating between two or more
blocks.
MULTI-ANNUAL SET-ASIDE
ANNEX 3
Environmental/other organisations
List of environmental/other organisations that may be able
to advise you in drawing up, and/or who may be willing to
endorse your plan.
The British Association for Shooting and
Conservation (Scottish Centre)
Trochry
Dunkeld
Tayside
PH8 0DY
Telephone: 01350 723 226
Fax: 01350 723 227
E-mail:
scotland@basc.org.uk
Scottish Natural Heritage
12 Hope Terrace
Edinburgh
EH9 2AS
Telephone: 0131-447 4784
Farming and Wildlife Advisory Group
Scottish Operations Manager
The Rural Centre
Ingliston
Midlothian
EH28 8NZ
E-mail:
scotland@fwag.org.uk
Website:
www.fwag.org.uk
The Game Conservancy Trust
Couston
Newtyle
Perthshire
PH12 8UT
Telephone: 01828 650543
Fax: 01828 650560
E-mail:
scottishhq@gct.org.uk
Royal Society for the Protection of Birds
Dunedin House
25 Ravelston Terrace
Edinburgh
EH4 3TP
Telephone: 0131-311 6500
The Scottish Wildlife Trust
Cramond House
Kirk Cramond
Cramond Glebe Road
Edinburgh
EH4 6NS
Telephone: 0131-312 7765
Fax: 0131-312 8705
E-mail: enquiries@scot.org.uk
Please notethat this is not an exhaustive list. You may draw up your
management plan on your own or in consultation with others. An
organisation or individual not included in the above list may
endorse your plan. Individuals should give details of their
qualifications and relevant experience.
MULTI-ANNUAL SET-ASIDE
ANNEX 4
Example of a management plan application targeting
rare arable weeds and lapwing
Field Reference Number | Management Plan Proposals (Including information about the
establishment and type of cover, nature and
frequency of any management operations,
anticipated benefits and, where appropriate,
details of any monitoring). |
SO12344194 | The following management will let
rare arable weeds thrive, particularly
lvenus looking-glass and prickly poppy
which were common here previously: 1. Bale and remove straw and allow natural
regeneration of green cover on a 20m
headland strip following harvest. (Location as shown
in a green dotted line on the attached field map.) 2. Cultivate the strip once every year in
early-mid March to a depth of 100mm, using a
single- pass with a set of discs. 3. No significant competitive grass weed
development is anticipated. However, if
present, it will be dealt with by a contact,
foilar-applied selective material. Injurious
weeds are not anticipated, but if encountered, will be
controlled using a weed wiper or by spot
treatment with a hand-held, shrouded hydraulic nozzle.
In both scenarios, the material will have approval for use in the appropriate
cover. |
SO12342670 | The following management will
provide nesting and feeding territory
for lapwing which are present within
this area: 1. Bale and remove straw and establish a
low-density cocksfoot/red fescue cover
following harvest. (Location as shown in light green
on the attached field map.) 2. Produce zones of bare earth by
establishing a 'false seed bed' by cultivating
the two light green areas once every year in early-mid
March to a depth of 7.5-1.0 cm using a
single-pass with a set of discs. 3. No significant competitive grass weed
development is anticipated. However, if
present, it will be dealt with by a contact,
foilar-applied selective material. Injurious
weeds are not anticipated, but if encountered, will be
controlled using a weed wiper or by spot
treatment with a hand-held, shrouded boom. In both
scenarios, the material will have approval
for use in the appropriate cover. 4. Maintain a mosaic of short and long turf
zones on areas remaining in green cover (as indicated in dark green on the attached
plan). Short zones are to be cut by flail mower
to 5.0 cm, in early March and again in late
August following field survey for any
remaining fledglings. Long turf areas are to be cut
once in March in the first season to aid establishment; subsequently cutting is only
envisaged to maintain sward health and to prevent scrub encroachment. Any cutting will
only occur outside of the nesting season. Injurious weeds will be controlled using a
weed wiper or by spot treatment with a
hand- held, shrouded boom. |