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SECTION 2 - The Menu of Options

This section describes the options available. We describe each option in detail, indicating any conditions for being eligible, and any evidence you need to provide.

Option 1 - Animal health and welfare management programme

The aim of this option is to promote animal health and welfare standards and contribute to farm business profitability and product quality. We will provide grant support towards the cost of implementing an Animal Health and Welfare Management Programme which will reflect your own particular farm management structure.

This is a five year commitment. In each year you can claim the standard cost, as shown below, of implementing agreed actions to raise animal health and welfare standards.

What activities are supported?

Those individual businesses with a minimum of four livestock units (as entered on the Single Application Form ( IACS)) will be eligible to apply to carry out all the options. Information on livestock units is available in annex B1. Pigs and poultry are currently excluded from participation of the scheme.

You will have discussions with your vet, drawing on the suggested template set out in annex B2, and develop an animal health and welfare management programme for your use in actively managing animal health and welfare issues. From this assessment you will agree, with your vet, an action programme with specific actions that you must undertake. You will take many of these actions yourself. However, for some of the tasks involved you will require to buy in specific services. As part of this assessment you will be required to sign a declaration confirming that you will keep at least four livestock units at all times for the next five years. The programme's production needs to be completed by 1 December with the actions within the programme completed by the end of the LMC scheme year.

If you choose this option, you must take the actions explained at 1 below. Actions 2 to 4 are voluntary and you can get funding for each year you take the actions. Action 5 is also voluntary and you can only take it once in the five years the option runs for.

1 Animal Health and Welfare Programme

Payment rate: standard cost £220

As part of your assessment there are two compulsory actions. You must agree to implement each of these actions, which must be reviewed with your vet on an annual basis.

• Implement a proactive scheme for treating diseases, including guidance on following a vet's advice and treatment. Your scheme will detail the agreed first and second lines of treatment, individual dosage instructions and the withdrawal periods for each treatment.
• Implement a scheme for using vaccines and preventative medicines. You will detail the vaccines or preventative medicines you will use, and individual dosage instructions and withdrawal periods for each vaccine or preventative medicine.

The additional actions 2 to 4 are voluntary and will attract funding on an annual basis. Action 5 can at present only be implemented once within the five years of the plan. They will help to meet some of the actions which will be identified in the basic plan. Not all of these will be applicable to your farm business and will be selected as a consequence of your animal health and welfare assessment.

2 Undertake additional inspection and monitoring to collate performance indicators, analyse all significant animal health and welfare related observations arising from inspections and implement an action plan to measure performance.

Payment rate: standard cost £320

You will record performance indicators and disease symptoms which are pre-determined objective measures. You and your vet will make comparisons between your enterprise and others in the same veterinary practice area, county or across Scotland. For example, this will allow you to compare the incidence of lameness, relative to similar farm types.

For 2005/2006 you will only be required to collect information on performance indicators and disease syndromes. However, in future years your vet will need to enter this information into a central database. We are currently working with stakeholders to develop and pilot this.

The indicators will cover a broad range of production measures and disease syndromes. Analysis of these will feed back into your Animal Health and Welfare Management programme and will help you to make decisions relating to farm management. The applicability of the indicators will vary between sectors and include, for example:

Cattle

Production measures
Total number of cattle in the herd
Number of cows and heifers mated
Number of assisted calvings including caesareans
Number of calves/young stock sold or retained

Disease syndromes
Number of cases of lameness which required treatment
Number of cases of pneumonia (other than lungworm) which required treatment and which died
Number of cases of suspected or confirmed lungworm
Number of cases of mastitis which required treatment and which were culled or died

Sheep
Production measures
Number of ewes mated
Number of lambs weaned
Number of barren ewes
Number of abortions

Disease syndromes
Number of cases of pneumonia which required treatment
Number of cases of skin infestation requiring treatment

More detailed guidance on the indicators will be provided as part of the production of your animal health and welfare programme which is to be completed by 1 December.

You will discuss with your vet the analysis of the data collected and how it could play a part in preventing the herd or flock from achieving its potential and agree an action plan to address the problems identified.

3 Produce an action plan to ensure the safe integration of new stock on farm and minimise the risk of spreading disease by maintaining fences around isolation areas to enhance biosecurity levels and to prevent diseases from entering the herd/flock.

Payment rate: standard cost £30 payable once in the five year period
standard cost £0.10 per running metre (up to a maximum of 3000 metres)

You will write, and then follow, an action plan which identifies the field identification number ( FID) of the area of fencing that you are going to maintain. The area may consist of boundary and internal fencing and must be currently used and remain in use as an isolation facility.

Maintaining the fencing you will:

• inspect the fencing;
• tighten slack wiring;
• reattach loose wiring;
• replace damaged fence posts and/or sections.

4 On the advice of the veterinary surgeon to undertake sampling to identify diseases/ conditions such as twin lamb disease or copper deficiency, which may be present on farm having a negative impact on animal health and welfare and take informed control measures to address conditions.

Payment rate: standard cost £155

You will arrange for sampling, for example blood testing, to be undertaken by your vet, to establish the disease status of your herd and/or flock. You will pay separately for the laboratory analysis of the samples. You will discuss the analysis with your vet and undertake agreed control measures in line with your overall animal health and welfare assessment.

It is likely that the sampling will be carried out by your vet at the same time as statutory testing. The veterinary time for this measure must be identified separately from veterinary statutory testing time.

5 Analyse forages and obtain professional nutritional advice and implement advice from report.

Payment rate: standard cost £110

Forage is defined as bulk feeding stuff, such as silage or hay. Forage samples will be sent for laboratory analysis and you will discuss results with a professional nutritionist, implementing advice from the report. At present you may only claim support for this measure once within the five year period.

How do I get started?

Check with your area office that your vet is suitably accredited, or look at the SEERAD website ( www.scotland.gov.uk/menuscheme). Let your vet know that you intend to use grants to support an animal health and welfare management programme and arrange a suitable time to discuss this. Your vet will visit you to carry out an assessment, gather information ( see annex B2) and discuss possible actions. The information that is discussed will remain between you and your vet. The information will not be passed to SEERAD although we will need to see a copy of the assessment and programme if we inspect your farm. ( See section 4).

Evidence

You must send us a completed claim form showing the actions that you have taken. You must do this by 31 March 2006. With your claim you must send a signed declaration from your vet confirming that you have considered recommendations from any specialist reports you received. Specific details of your actions will already have been set out as part of your animal health and welfare programme.

Option 2 - Membership of quality assurance and organic schemes

We aim to encourage farmers to recognise the importance of high-quality production through being members of a quality assurance or organic scheme.

We will provide a yearly incentive payment if you take part in a quality assurance or organic scheme. We will refund 50% of your joining fees and ongoing membership costs (except VAT unless you are not registered for VAT). We will pay up to £150 for each scheme you are a member of.

All schemes must be certified to EN45011 standard. If a scheme is not certified to this standard by 1 February 2006 its members will be ineligible to receive payment through this measure.

Eligibility

You must be a member of a quality assurance or organic scheme on 16 May 2005 and 16 January 2006 to be eligible. You can be an existing member and you can join more than one quality assurance scheme (for example, for cereals and cattle).

The following quality assurance schemes are eligible:

• Specially Selected Scotch Farm Assurance Scheme - Cattle and Sheep
• Specially Selected Scotch Farm Assurance Scheme - Pigs
• Scottish Quality Cereals Farm Assurance Scheme
• National Dairy Farm Assurance Scheme
• Assured Chicken Production
• Assured Produce Scheme
• Scottish Quality Wild Venison Assurance Scheme
• Farm Assured British Beef and Lamb Scheme
• Lion Quality for Eggs
• Freedom Foods
• Genesis Quality Assurance Scheme
• LEAF Marque

The following organic schemes are eligible:

• Scottish Organic Producers Certification Scheme
• Soil Association Certification Scheme Ltd
• Organic Farmers and Growers Ltd - Organic Assurance Scheme
• Bio-dynamic Agricultural Association

If you are a member of the Organic Aid Scheme ( OAS) or join this during the same year, you cannot claim funding for membership of any of the organic schemes listed above.

Evidence

To claim you must send us your claim form and evidence that you are a member of an eligible scheme. You must do this by 31 March 2006. The evidence you provide must include your membership number, your name and address and the fee you have paid. We will check this against the information held by the relevant quality assurance or organic scheme.

Option 3 - Training

The aim of this option is to increase and improve the skills present within agriculture and forestry, promoting a greater range of activities and improving competitiveness in the rural economy. We will contribute towards the cost of training which improves occupational skills and knowledge.

Each year we will pay:

• 75% of the cost of one or more training courses (not including VAT unless you are not registered for VAT); or
• £500;

whichever is less.

We need receipts showing the type of course and the cost of it.

To take up this option, fill in the total amount you expect to claim in section 3 of the LMC menu scheme application form. Remember it is only 75% of the actual cost or £500, whichever is less.

Eligibility

You can be either the business owner or an employee (including an immediate family member who is actively involved in the business).

The training course must relate to one of the following aspects ( see annex C for examples of types of training courses):

• Business skills
• Marketing
• Managing people
• Opportunities for expanding into other activities
• Technical skills

You cannot apply for the following training activities;

• Full-time or part-time education in secondary schools, further education colleges and higher education establishments;
• Courses where you can get financial support from another public source, including EU funding;
• Training courses that trainees need to take by law to carry out their basic work activities (such as crop spraying courses, tractor driving courses, chainsaw courses for forestry workers). However, you can apply for training needed by law to allow you to expand into a different agricultural or forestry business (for example, training towards getting an HGV licence to move into road haulage);
• Training courses which you do not have to pay for.

A training provider recognised by Lantra must deliver the training. Agricultural and other colleges offer a wide selection of eligible training courses, as do other training providers. You can get information about relevant courses from the providers themselves. Or you can ask Lantra - the Sector Skills Council for land-based industries - for information about courses and providers in your area. You can phone Lantra on 01738 553311.

The training can be delivered in various ways, such as:

• short training courses delivered away from the workplace at a local agricultural or other college, or at another hired venue;
• training delivered in the workplace;
• on-line training courses.

Evidence

You can claim payment after you have completed and paid for all of the eligible training. You must get and send us a detailed invoice from your training provider which shows the cost of the courses. The name of the training provider and title of the course should be shown on the invoice as we will check this to make sure the course is eligible. You must finish the training, pay for it and send us your claim before 31 March 2006 if possible. Training can now be undertaken upto 15 May 2006.

Option 4 - Farm and woodland visits

The aim of this option is to increase public awareness of land management and to provide educational experiences for children and young people. We expect this to lead to people having a better understanding of the contribution land managers make to their local community and the local environment, and helping to maintain rural areas. We will pay you and your employees for hosting visits to your farm or woodland for educational purposes.

We will pay £100 for every visit to your farm/woodland.

Eligibility

The visit may be from the following:

Children

Schools, scouts, guides, brownies, cubs, boys brigade, girls brigade (not from nurseries ¹ or playgroups because of the risk of serious illness to pre-school children).

Young people

Colleges (including agricultural colleges), university groups, youth clubs.

Adults

Community councils
Local rural partnerships
Local community planning partnerships
Community education groups
Adult education centres
Outdoor bound centres
Wildlife and conservation groups
History or archaeological societies
International agricultural societies

As the purpose of this option is to increase awareness in the general public, visits from groups that are already associated with land management are not eligible.

If you are not sure whether a particular group's visit is eligible, ask your area office before arranging the visit.

You must provide evidence that you are insured to receive visitors onto your farm (that is, you have public liability insurance) and that you have met all relevant health and safety regulations. You should prepare a risk assessment and a farm information pack for farm visits (see guidance at annexes D and E). Keep a copy of these for us to inspect.

You or the farm or woodland manager must accompany the group throughout the visit, which must last for an hour or more. The group must consist of at least five people.

Applying for payment

Fill in the value of all visits to your land (up to a maximum of 10 visits and off-farm talks ( see option 5) in any one year) in section 3 of your application form ( LMCMS 2).

The payment covers preparing a risk assessment (expected to cost approx. £50), producing an information pack (providing educational information about the farm and any woodland and how you manage it), an hour of your or the land manager's time, any extra insurance costs that arise and expenses for things like signs and equipment needed for health and safety reasons.

Evidence

To claim a payment, send us evidence that the visit has happened and that the group was eligible. Send us a signed form from the group involved which shows the size of the group and the length of the visit ( see the template at annex F). You must send this to us by 31 March 2006 where possible. This activity can be undertaken upto the 15 May 2006

Further guidance

We recommend that you check that there is likely to be a demand for visits on your farm. You can do this by getting support from your local Royal Highland Educational Trust group ( addresses and contacts at annex L), your local authority, a community council or another local community group.

You should send groups information about their visits before their visit, and give leaflets to potential and actual visitors. These leaflets could give information on the environmental, historic and cultural features of your land.

Option 5 - Off-farm talks

The aim of this option is to increase public awareness of land management and to provide educational experiences for children and young people. We expect this to help everyone play a part in improving the social environment in rural areas by giving communities a better understanding of the contribution land managers make to their local area.

We will pay you and your employees to provide talks for educational purposes away from your farm. We will pay £50 for each talk. This payment covers travel costs, producing an information pack, buying stationery and the cost of giving presentations. You should keep a copy of your presentation material for us to inspect.

Eligibility

Eligible and ineligible groups are the same as for option 4. You should prepare a farm information pack ( see the guidance at annex E). Your talk should last at least 30 minutes and may be to any size of audience. Talks should be open to the general public, except for talks in schools and colleges.

Applying for payment

Fill in the value of off-farm talks you want to apply for (up to a maximum of 10 farm visits ( see option 4) and off-farm talks in any one year in section 3 of your application form ( LMCMS2).

Evidence

To claim payment, you must send us evidence that the talk has taken place and that the group was eligible. Send us a signed form from the group involved showing the size of the group and the length of the talk ( see the template at annex F). You must send this to us by 31 March 2006 where possible. This activity can be undertaken upto the 15 May 2006

Further guidance

We recommend that you check that there is likely to be a demand for talks beforehand. You can do this by getting support from your local Royal Highland Educational Trust group ( addresses and contacts at annex L), your local authority, a community council or other local community group.

You should send groups information about your talk before it takes place, and give leaflets to potential audiences. These leaflets could give information on the environmental, historic and cultural features of your land.

Option 6 - Buffer areas

By contributing towards the cost of creating buffer areas, we aim to establish a network of wildlife corridors, reduce the risk of pollutants entering wetland areas and watercourses and protect and enhance the habitats and features, for example archaeological sites, prominent in-field and ancient trees, with which they are associated.

This is a 5 year commitment. We will pay you £200 per hectare of land managed under this measure. We will pay at the end of each year.

Requirements

• establish a 3 to 6 metre wide buffer area in arable fields or on improved grassland along watercourses or around springs, boreholes, areas of wetland, species rich grassland, woodland or archaeological sites;
• you must not cultivate this land, or apply fertiliser or manure;
• you must not apply pesticides without the prior written agreement of your local SEERAD office. Normally, such consent will only be given to allow spot-treatment or the weed wiping of scheduled weeds (creeping, spear or field thistle, curled or broadleaved dock, and common ragwort) or invasive alien species (e.g.Himalayan balsam, rhododendron and Japanese knotweed);
• you may cut in the managed area;
• you may graze animals as long as this does not cause environmental damage;
• you may control scrub where necessary to meet Good Agricultural Environmental Conditions ( GAEC);
• you must not use the area for supplementary feeding of stock;
• you must not use the area for storage of materials or machinery.

In addition, if you are proposing to establish a buffer area around prominent, individual in-field and ancient trees on the landscape:

• that buffer area must extend to at least cover the area under the canopy of the tree;
• leave fallen timber in the buffer area;
• if the tree falls, replace it to keep the landscape the same - but remember to leave the fallen tree behind.

You must prepare a sketch map which clearly shows the buffer areas you plan to manage. Keep this map safe as you must be able to show it to us at inspections. Do not send it to us with your application form.

If you are carrying out the nutrient management option (option 14) in fields with a watercourse, spring or borehole, you must also create a buffer area alongside the watercourse and around any spring or borehole.

Water margins which are receiving management payments under RSS, CPS, ESA or Habitats Scheme are not eligible under this option. This option cannot be adopted on an area of land set-aside under the SFPS.

Option 7 - Management of linear features

• Hedgerows
• Ditches
• Dykes

Our aim is to improve the landscape by creating and improving habitats for breeding birds, plants and other wildlife. We will support the cost of managing farm hedgerows, hedgerow trees, ditches and dykes by sensitive cutting, clearing and reinstatement as appropriate.

Where a boundary linear feature is involved, the Menu Scheme payment will be in proportion to your level of responsibility, that is, if you and your neighbour are equally responsible for maintaining a dyke, you will be entitled to payment on half of the area of dyke. In such instances, section 5 of the application form (a neighbour's agreement) must be completed. If the requirements are not met because your neighbour does not follow the option requirements, you will be in breach.

This is a five-year commitment. We will make any payment due at the end of each year. We will pay £0.10 per metre for hedgerows and hedgerow trees, £1.00 per metre for ditches and £0.10 per square metre for dykes.

Hedgerows and hedgerow trees:

Requirements

• cut both sides of hedges no more than once every three years, and cut only one third of the hedgerow in any one year;
• manage hedges over several years so they are at least 1.5 metres tall and at least 2 metres wide at the base, in an A-frame shape;
• only cut back, trim or lop hedgerow trees between 1 December and 1 March;
• laying hedges is encouraged;
• where possible, encourage hedgerow trees to develop at intervals in the hedge, by marking and not cutting them;
• plant appropriate native-species trees and shrubs to fill gaps in hedges.

To meet EU requirements there is a limit of 50 metres of hedgerow maintained per hectare of land farmed by you.

Ditches:

Efficient drainage is essential to productive farming. Natural watercourses do not need regular management, whereas artificial ditches usually require regular intervention to enable them to function efficiently and to maintain their wildlife interest. Provided care is taken in the way in which maintenance is carried out, periodic cutting or clearing of such artificial ditches is no bad thing. Problems arise when work is carried out without paying due regard to the implications for the river system or the many plants and animals which it supports, and when natural burns are subjected to unsympathetic often unnecessary management.

The canalisation or culverting of watercourses will be regulated by SEPA under the Water Environment and Water Services (Controlled Activities) (Scotland) Regulations, due to come into force in April 2006.

Requirements

• clear ditches no more than every third year with only one third cleared in any one year;
• only clear ditches and cut bankside vegetation between 1 September and 31 January;
• only cut vegetation, clear and re-profile on one side of a ditch on any occasion;
• where possible, give banks shallow sloping sides (ideally 10- or less), to encourage plant diversity and benefit waders and other bird species;
• spread spoil across the field and level it. Do not mound it on the bank.

To meet EU requirements, no more than 5 metres of ditches may be maintained under this option for every hectare of land you farm.

For the puposes of this scheme, an eligible ditch is a channel on inbye land , which has been modified to any extent by man, and which has a bed width of not less than 0.3 metre and, unless in an exceptionally dry year, has permanently flowing water.

Dykes

Requirement

• Repair and reinstate deteriorated and damaged drystone walls. Only dyking which has suffered minor damage or deterioration (i.e. from fallen coping stones to totally collapsed sections of wall less than 2 metres in length) is eligible under this option.

To work out the area of the dyke, multiply its length by its average height in metres.

To meet EU requirements, no more than 50 square metres of dyke may be maintained under this option for every hectare of land you farm.

You must prepare a sketch map which clearly shows the location of the linear features you propose to manage. Keep this map as you must be able to produce it for inspection. Please do not send it to us with your application form.

Hedges or dykes which are receiving funding under RSS, CPS, ESA Scheme Tier 2 or Organic Aid Scheme are not eligible under this option.

For this option please enter the length or area of the feature to be managed against the relevant 'field identifier' ( FID) under columns E and F of section 4. Remember to claim only for your share of any features you share responsibility for.

Option 8 - Management of moorland grazing

The aim of this option is to encourage a wide range of habitats within moorland (including feeding and breeding sites for birds and animals), as well as a wide range of insects and plants. We will contribute to the cost of changing management practices for this.

This is a five year commitment. We will pay you £1 per hectare. We will pay at the end of each year.

Requirements

• prepare and carry out a grazing plan for the moorland. The plan will report on the current condition and management of the moorland and will highlight the changes you propose in shepherding, managing livestock and feeding practices in order to benefit the environment and wildlife;
• use the moorland for agriculture livestock production;
• agree to:
• • maintain the current overall area of permanent pasture on your farm;
  • maintain the stocking density on the permanent pasture on your farm below an agreed maximum;
  • do not overgraze or underuse any of that permanent pasture.
• fill in section 6 - management of permanent pasture declaration - of the application form.

In the requirements above, 'Moorland' means land with predominantly semi-natural upland vegetation or comprising predominantly rock outcrops and semi-natural upland vegetation, which is primarily used for rough grazing.

Option 9 - Management of rush pasture

The aim of this option is to maintain a mosaic of rush and open pasture which will encourage a greater diversity and number of bird species. We will contribute to the cost of creating and maintaining mixtures of rushes and grassland at variable densities, and for opening up areas of dense rushes to provide a mixed rush and grassland habitat.

This is a five year commitment. We will pay £125 per hectare of land. We will pay at the end of each year.

Requirements

• manage areas of dense rushes (over 50%) by cutting each year and/or grazing;
• between August and March either cut up to two-thirds of rushes in random patterns to leave an open, variable mix of rushes and grass pasture; or graze cattle to remove and thin rushes by up to two-thirds;
• if cutting, cut close to the ground. If rushes are cut at half the stem height (e.g. topped), this will have no effect on reducing tussock mass or vigour;
• after cutting you can graze, or heavy roll the area.

Avoid heavy poaching because it damages soil structure and the sward and creates conditions for seedlings to grow.

In the requirements above, 'Rush pasture' means permanent pasture on poorly drained in-bye land that is periodically saturated with water where extensive areas are dominated by soft rush and/or compact rush.

Option 10 - Biodiversity cropping on in-bye

The aim of this option is to increase the conservation value of arable land in Less-Favoured Areas ( LFAs) and to increase numbers of declining species of bird. We will pay you to carry out traditional crop rotations so as to provide cover and feeding areas for birds.

This is a five year commitment. We will pay you £40 per hectare of land or £150 per hectare if a cereal crop is harvested by binder and the stooks gathered into stacks. We will pay you at the end of each year.

Requirements

You may only apply for arable land in the LFA. 'In-bye' land means the part of a farm or croft other than hill and rough grazings. The bulk of this is to be used for arable and grassland production.

• sow plots of spring cereals, fodder root crops or fodder rape each up to 2 hectares and all plots totalling no more than 4 hectares over the whole unit;
• after 15 May and up to the last day of the following February each year, herbicides and insecticides must not be applied without the prior written agreement of the local SEERAD office. Normally, such consent will only be given to allow spot-treatment or the weed wiping of scheduled weeds (creeping, spear or field thistle, curled or broadleaved dock, and common ragwort) or invasive alien species (e.g. Himalayan balsam, rhododendron and Japanese knotweed);
• after cropping, you must not plough or cultivate the area before 28 February of the following year.

Arable silage is not an eligible crop for this option for the reasons set out below:

• such a crop tends to be thicker and therefore unsuitable for some bird species;
• birds will be deprived of cover very much earlier in the year;
• autumn 'stubbles' and residual crop will not be there as a source of food for the birds over the autumn/winter period.

You may change the location of cropped areas managed under this option from year to year.

This option cannot be adopted on an area of land which is in conversion under an Organic Aid Scheme (conversion) agreement.

Option 11 - Retention of winter stubbles

The aim of this option is to increase the number of birds that survive the winter and also to reduce erosive action and sediment loss from soils to watercourses over the winter months. We will contribute to the cost of providing feeding and breeding areas for seed-eating birds over winter.

This option runs for five years. We will pay £40 for every hectare at the end of each year.

Requirements

• retain stubbles from the harvest of spring sown cereals, protein or oilseed crops until the end of the following February, therefore you must not plough or cultivate the area before 28 February;
• after 15 May and up to the last day of the following February each year,herbicides must not be applied without the prior written agreement of the local SEERAD office. Normally, such consent will only be given to allow spot-treatment or the weed wiping of scheduled weeds (creeping, spear or field thistle, curled or broadleaved dock, and common ragwort) or invasive alien species (e.g. Himalayan balsam, rhododendron and Japanese knotweed).

Arable silage is not an eligible crop for this option because autumn 'stubbles' and any remaining crop will not be there as a source of food for the birds over autumn and winter.

Each year you can change the location of areas you manage under this option.

This option cannot be adopted on an area of land which is in conversion under an Organic Aid Scheme (conversion) agreement.

Option 12 - Wild bird seed mixture

The aim of this option is to create patches or plots of bird seed and bird cover, through sowing mixtures of seed-bearing crops, to benefit birds and invertebrates. It will also increase the number of areas of suitable feeding for birds and have a positive impact for biodiversity. We will contribute to the cost of creating patches or plots of bird seed and bird cover, through sowing mixtures of seed-bearing crops. This type of crop will feed seed-eating birds when little food source remains.

This option applies for five years. We will pay £329 a hectare. We will pay at the end of each year.

Requirements

• sow a mixture of at least three seed-bearing crops (for example a cereal, kale and quinoa). A 'mixture' means either a seed mixture or alternate rows of the different crops;
• sow in strips at least 6 metres wide at the edges of fields or in blocks. There should be no more than 0.5 hectare sown on every 20 hectares; Each plot of wild bird seed mixture cannot be larger than 0.5 hectare.
• re-sow at least every other year so as to maintain seed production;
• only apply fertiliser or manure if this is necessary for establishment of the mixture;
• only apply herbicides to spot-treat or weed-wipe for the control of injurious weeds (creeping, spear or field thistle, curled or broadleaved dock, and common ragwort) or invasive alien species (e.g. Himalayan balsam, rhododendron and Japanese knotweed);

But you may use Glyphosate before spring re-sowing to help re-establishment;

• do not apply any other pesticides;
• do not use the area for access, turning or storage, or grazing.

Seed-bearing crops are best sited close to hedgerows or other areas of cover.

This option cannot be adopted on an area of land which is in conversion under an Organic Aid Scheme ( OAS) (conversion) agreement or being maintained under an OAS (maintenance) agreement.

Option 13 - Summer cattle grazing

This option aims to give farmers support towards the cost of maintaining or restoring a balance between heather (or other dwarf shrubs) and the coarser moorland grasses which tend to become dominant under heavy sheep grazing and to improve the diversity of grassland communities.

Requirements

To be eligible for support, the following requirements must be met:

• turn cattle out onto unenclosed or hill land on or before 1 June, and keep them there for at least three months. For the purposes of the menu scheme, 'unenclosed' or 'hill land' is taken to be rough grazings;
• at least 1 bovine per 25 hectares should be turned out. Qualifying cattle must be at least six months of age at the start of this grazing period and can be either owned by or formally leased to you;
• make sure that grazing is evenly distributed and that there are enough sheltered areas where the ground is firm and free-draining;
• this option could cover all or part of the unenclosed ground of the holding;
• agree to retain the current overall area of permanent pasture on your farm, follow stocking limits on all the permanent grassland on your farm/croft and not over-graze or under-utilise any of that grassland;
• fill in section 6 of the application form - management of permanent pasture declaration.

The ideal grazing regime on this land should include both sheep and cattle. You may need to reduce the number of sheep in proportion to the number of cattle introduced to avoid damaging the land.

You will break good farming practice rules if you overgraze this land or any other rough or unimproved areas on your land. If you claim SFPS you should pay special attention to GAEC requirements for any areas of wetter ground or woodland, specifically those relating to overgrazing, trampling and supplementary feeding.

If you meet the requirements of this option, we will pay £1 for every hectare of land the cattle graze on for at least three months. We will make payments over five years, at the end of each year.

Option 14 - Nutrient management

This option aims to decrease diffuse pollution on in-bye improved land. We encourage farmers and crofters to match inorganic and organic fertiliser (including slurry) applications to crop requirements.

This is a five year commitment. We will pay £2 a hectare at the end of each year.

Requirements

• carry out soil testing in the selected field on a 3 to 5 year cycle to determine its soil pH, nutrient status (i.e. phosphates(P) and potash(K)) and trace element levels (e.g. magnesium);
• keep records of the quantities of mineral fertiliser, farmyard manure and slurry applied to the field and when you applied it, taking account of the levels of nitrogen (N), P and K contained in organic manures;
• keep a record of inputs, together with the cropping history and soil analysis results, these to be used to calculate nutrient requirements (i.e. N, P, K, lime and trace elements). For N, follow the Scottish Agricultural College ( SAC) recommendations in the Technical Note 'Nitrogen recommendations for Cereals, Oilseed Rape and Potatoes';
• keep records of no-spread zones. For further guidance, you may wish to consult the 4-Point Plan (Ref: www.sac.ac.uk/4pp);
• apply fertiliser at a time which will promote maximum nutrient uptake by the crop.

If there is a watercourse, spring or borehole in the field on which you are implementing nutrient management you must also adopt the buffer area measure (option 6) around the watercourse, spring or borehole. The production of a simple Risk Assessment for Manure and Slurry ( RAMS) is an easy way to plan applications of manure and slurry whilst following good agricultural practice and reducing pollution risk. The 4-Point Plan provides guidance on the preparation of a RAMS.

Option 15 - Improving access

The aim of this option is to provide access routes (paths) under part 1 of the Land Reform (Scotland) Act 2003. From early 2005, the public will have a right to walk, cycle and ride over most land in Scotland as long as they do so responsibly. We will contribute to the costs of you identifying and maintaining continuous paths across your land. These routes should be suitable all year round for walkers and, if the surfaces are appropriate, for cyclists and horse riders.

Everyone has the right to be on most land and water for recreation, education and travel as long as they act responsibly. However, most people will prefer to use clear, identified paths. Marking and maintaining paths across farms will encourage local people and visitors to enjoy the countryside. By providing marked paths you can encourage the public away from any areas of your farm where they may harm farming activities.

This option runs for five years. We will pay £2.75 for every metre of path. We may check the length of the path. All paths must have a sign at the start of the identified route or at an appropriate entrance point which meets the standard set out in annex G.

We will also contribute to the one-off costs of certain items described in annex G. We will pay 75% of costs for signposts, waymarkers, gates, stiles, bridges, and culverts (up to a maximum of £150 for each item). We will pay for these after you send us a receipt. We must receive receipts no later than 31 March 2006.

On the Menu Scheme application form, fill in the length of the path you will maintain across your land. Also fill in the number and value of items you intend to claim refunds for. Fill in columns E and F in section 4.

If the path goes through or alongside any of your land that is not registered with IACS you will need to fill in a land and business change form so we can find the path. The land and business change form is issued as part of the IACS pack.

Requirements

This option is for the maintenance of new and exsisting paths. The path must meet at least one of the following design specifications and all the technical specifications.

Design specifications

The path should link to local networks, give access to points of attraction or serve another clear purpose.

1. Link to local networks

The path should link with other routes at the boundaries of your land and form part of a wider network. If your path crosses a public road, consider road safety and perhaps talk to the local roads authority.

2. Give access to points of attraction

The path should provide reasonably direct access across your land but give access to features of interest such as viewpoints and lochs. Also consider areas of cultural interest.

3. Other clear purpose

If the path is not connected to a wider network and does not give access to points of attraction, you must prove that it serves some other clear purpose or meets a local need.

(You should contact local and national park authorities access officers when you are planning your path to make sure it will meet at least one of the design specifications set out above. Every effort should be made to integrate your paths into other local path networks. Local access officers and local access forums should be able to provide advice on existing and proposed local path networks.).

Technical specifications

The path must be well-drained, fit for its intended purpose, free from obstructions, signposted and regularly maintained.

1 Well-drained

The path should stay firm and dry in all weather conditions. After heavy rain, water should drain away quickly without damaging the path. To achieve this, good drainage is the key.

2 Fit for purpose

The path's surface should be suitable for the use it has to support. Surfaces can range from trodden grass to asphalt. Not one path surface fits all purposes - the main point to remember is that the path must be suitable for its intended use.

3 Free of obstructions

Boundaries take many forms such as fences, walls, hedges, watercourses, shorelines, woodland, or rock outcrops. The route will usually cross boundaries.

You may need to include gates, stiles, steps, bridges or culverts which keep the route out of water, divert it around difficult ground and clear a path through vegetation.

Use gates rather than stiles, as more people can use them. There are two basic types of gate in general use - the wicket gate and the kissing gate. Many types of user can use the wicket gate, but cyclists are restricted from using (and horse riders cannot use) the kissing gate. Information on gate design is given in 'Countryside Access Design Guide' available from SNH. Information on access for people with disabilities is given in ' BT Countryside for All' which is available from the Fieldfare Trust ( www.fieldfare.org.uk).

4 Signposted and waymarked

Paths should be clearly signposted at entrance points. There should be markers along the way to keep people right and show distances to significant points.

Information on signposts is given in 'Signpost Guidance' which is available from the 'Paths for All Partnership' ( Contact details in annex L).

5 Regularly maintained

A well-planned and well-designed route needs less maintenance. You will need to manage vegetation at certain times of the year. You can reduce the amount of weed on paths by regularly mowing verges. You can drain persistent wet ground by installing filter drains or small ditches.

Information on maintenance is given in the 'Lowland Path Construction Guide' available from the 'Paths for All Partnership' - ( www.pathsforall.org.uk) and 'Upland Path Management' available from SNH.

You must prepare a sketched map which clearly shows the location of the path you propose to manage and the location and type of items (gates and so on) you want refunds for. Keep this map safe as you must be able to show it to us. Do not send it to us with your application form.

Option 16 - Farm woodland planning ( FWP)

The option aims for an integrated approach to the planning of woodland management on farms and to identify opportunities for the expansion of woodland. We will contribute to the production of a Farm Woodland Plan ( FWP). Your plan will help you identify opportunities for applying to the Scottish Forestry Grant Scheme ( SFGS) and will help you join that scheme.

We will normally pay for 1 to 30 hectares per holding. But if your native woodland or IACS registered forage open woodland is more than 30 hectares, we will pay for all of this. The one hectare may be made up of several areas of at least 0.1 hectares.

We will pay £10 for each hectare. If the total area of woodland you have is 15 hectares or less and you are entering it all into Farm Woodland Management (Option 17) we will pay you a minimum total grant of £150.

We will pay you at the end of the year (from April 2006), after we have received and approved your plan.

On the Menu Scheme application form, fill in the area of woodland that your plan will cover. Also fill in the location and size of each parcel you intend to claim for by completing the Field Data Sheet section of the application.

If the woodland is not on IACS registered land you will need to fill in a land and business change form to allow us to allocate a field identifier to these parcels of land. The land and business change form is issued as part of the IACS pack.

Requirements

• Your plan must assess the condition of all existing woodlands on your holding that are owned or form part of a tenancy agreement. It will identify work needed to manage them to the standard for Sustainable Farm Woodland Management ( annex H). It will identify those individual or groups of woods suitable for entry into Farm Woodland Management (Option 17). You need to have a Farm Woodland Plan ( FWP) to be able to take up Option 17;
• Your plan will help you to identify opportunities for applying to the Scottish Forestry Grant Scheme ( SFGS) and will assist with entry to this;
• Your plan must use the Farm Woodland Plan Template ( annex I). The template is a Word document and you can download it from our website ( www.scotland.gov.uk/menuscheme ). You may need to use more than one template if your woodland is varied in type and structure or because only selected woods are to be entered into option 17. If you do this, each template should refer to identifiable individual or groups of woods annotated on an accompanying map;
• Your plan should include a copy of a 1:10,000 map, showing the location of your holding and all woodland within it. Annotate the map with specific information on the woodland and specific work identified in the farm woodland plan ( annex I).

You are allowed three months to prepare the plan. This means that you will need to send the plan to SEERAD by 15 August 2005. We will let you know whether or not the plan meets the requirements of the option within two months.

Inspections

When we receive a filled-in farm woodland plan, we will send a copy to Forestry Commission Scotland ( FCS) for their comments. If FCS need to visit the woodlands in order to assess your plan, an officer will contact you to arrange the visit.

Non-compliance

A plan will be deemed as non-compliant if it is found to be:

• unrepresentative of the woodland;
• inappropriate to the woodland condition;
• an inaccurate account of the work requirements of managing to the standard for Sustainable Farm Woodland Management ( annex H).

Option 17 - Farm woodland management ( FWM)

The option aims to see all eligible woods under active management to increase their value as part of the farm business and the farmed landscape.

This option runs for five years. We will pay at the end of each year (from April 2006) as long as your Farm Woodland Plan (option 16) is approved. You must send us your plan by 15 August 2005. We will let you know if it has been approved within two months of receiving it.

We will normally pay from 1 hectare up to 30 hectares per holding at £30 per hectare. However, if your native woodland or IACS registered forage open woodland is more than 30 hectares, we will pay for all of this at £30 per hectare. If you have only one hectare, the one hectare may be made up of several areas of at least 0.1 hectares.

On the Menu Scheme application form, fill in the area of woodland that your plan will cover. Also fill in the location and size of each parcel you intend to claim for by filling in section 4 of the application form.

If the woodland is not on IACS registered land you will need to complete a land and business change form to allow us to allocate a field identifier to these parcels of land. The land and business change form is issued as part of the IACS pack.

Requirements

You must:

• have an approved Farm Woodland Plan (option 16) or be applying for one. This plan must identify the individual or group of woods to be entered into this option;
• keep woodland entered into this option in line with the standard for Sustainable Farm Woodland Management ( see annex H);
• make sure any work you have done is consistent with your farm woodland plan;
• woodland must be owned or form part of a tenancy agreement.

You may not use this option for individual woods currently in the Woodland Grant Scheme ( WGS), Scottish Forestry Grant Scheme ( SFGS) or Rural Stewardship Scheme ( RSS).

General Scheme requirements

The following table summarises the requirements of each option and the standards you have to meet.

Table of requirements

The requirements of some options have to be met within a year, others you have to be committed to for five years.

Land ownership and control

1) If you are a landlord, you can only apply for land that you let out on a seasonal basis. If you let out any of the land included in an option on a seasonal basis, you will be responsible for making sure the requirements are met on that land.

2) If you are a tenant or contractual licensee, you must discuss the proposed application with your landlord to make sure it does not break the conditions of your tenancy or licence.

3) If you have a tenancy or licence with less than five years to run, you will have to make a joint application with your landlord or the land owner if you wish to undertake agri-environment, forestry or access options. The landowner must fill in and sign the declaration in section 7 of the Menu Scheme Application form to confirm that they will make sure your commitments under any five year options would continue to be met if you stopped having control over the land during the five years of your agreement.

4) You cannot apply for options on grazing land if your lease for the grazing or mowing is for a period of 364 days or less. This means that your seasonal grazing can be part of your holding calculation but it is not an eligible area for Menu Scheme options.

You have to meet standards for good farming practice including good animal husbandry and general environmental conditions. These standards apply over the whole area of your holding and are set out in annex J.

Conservation or management agreement

If you want to take up an option on land in a 'site of special scientific interest' or Natura site, you have to meet the conditions set out in your management agreement and get any permission you need for specific activities before you apply to us.

As this is the first year of the Menu Scheme, you may have, or be negotiating, a conservation or management agreement with Scottish Natural Heritage ( SNH) for part of the area of land that you want to include under one of the Menu Scheme options. If so, we will accept your application if you have applied to SNH. You should contact SNH ( contact details in annex L) as soon as possible so they can respond within a four-month period. In all these cases you must not proceed with any options without the permission you need. You must let us know, in writing, if you do not get any permission you need.

Scheduled monuments are protected by law. If you plan to carry out any works on a scheduled monument, you must obtain scheduled monument consent ( SMC) in advance. Contact Historic Scotland for advice before making your Menu Scheme application. You can get advice and SMC from:

Historic Scotland
Longmore House
Salisbury Place
Edinburgh
EH9 1SH
Phone: 0131 668 8777
E-mail hs-farming@scotland.gsi.gov.uk

Or, you can speak to your local monument warden who may have visited you recently.

You should apply for SMC as early as possible and by 16 May at the latest.SMC applications will be dealt with as quickly as possible, normally within nine weeks. You should have either a letter from Historic Scotland granting SMC, or written advice from them saying that you do not need SMC, before starting any option affecting land containing a scheduled monument.

Keep any written permission you receive as we will need to see these during an inspection. Do not send them to us with your application.

1Health and Safety Executive guidance AIS 23 indicates that E. coli O157 can cause severe illness in young children. Pre-school groups should not therefore be hosted under this scheme.

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