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THE RURAL STEWARDSHIP SCHEME 12. Moorland - Stock
Disposal
| Aim: To encourage the regeneration of
suppressed heather and/or other moorland vegetation of conservation interest,
by the reduction of sheep numbers where it has been identified on a Moorland Management
Plan. Some BAP species that may benefit: Juniper, Netted
mountain moth, Woolly willow. Eligible sites: Moorland which
is of conservation interest and would benefit from a reduced stocking density
beyond the reduction required to rectify an overgrazing problem identified under
the Livestock Subsidy Schemes. | Management Requirements:
- The requirements of the Moorland Management Plan must be followed.
- An agreed number of ewes must be removed from the site. Ewe numbers in
the IACS business must be reduced by at least the number of ewes removed
from the site in accordance with the plan and must not be increased on that site
for the relevant period.
- The quota implications of participating in an
agri-environment scheme are determined by EC legislation. This requires that participants
in the stock disposal option will have a number of their quota rights, equivalent
to the number of sheep they agree to remove under the Scheme, frozen for the duration
of their participation in the scheme. For example, if the Scheme undertaking is
to reduce the flock by 100 ewes and gimmers, participants will not be able to
lease, sell or use 100 of their quota rights for the duration of their participation
in the scheme. Any adjustments made to quota prior to joining the Scheme will
not affect the requirement to freeze the relevant number of quota rights. The
number of quota rights frozen will be exempt from normal quota usage rules and
participants will not risk losing these quota rights for non-use because of participation
in the stock disposal option. Where a producer group is involved, SERAD will freeze
the quota on the basis of the flock apportionment as declared in the Moorland
Management Plan. SERAD will write to confirm the amount of quota rights frozen
once applicants have been notified of their acceptance into the Scheme. To meet
this requirement, only permanently-held quota may be frozen; leased-in quota cannot
be frozen.
- By the end of the first SAP quota trading period following
approval of your application, you must have sufficient permanently-held SAP quota
rights to match the number of ewes you have undertaken to remove from the moorland
and business in return for a stock disposal payment. You may therefore have to
purchase quota that will then be frozen.
Photo:
L. Gill - SNH < Previous | Contents | Next > | 
