Indication of how Key Management Prescriptions will be Checked
| Management | Validation/ detection |
|---|---|
| Application of fertilisers/ agricultural improvers | |
| Organic fertilisers | Assessment of signs of use of e.g. farmyard manure either in the form of un-incorporated fragments and/or the resultant lush green grass growth. |
| Inorganic fertiliser | Assessment of evidence of use in the form of regular tractor wheelings across the site and/ or lush green growth of two or three vigorous grass species in the sward. Inspection of farm records |
| Application of herbicides | Assessment of evidence of badly targeted or indiscriminate use of herbicides resulting in a wider kill of non- target plants, including the presence of large numbers of wilted non-target plants across the site. Assessment of signs of mechanical control through evidence of weed cuttings on the ground or by a less than 100% success rate. |
| Establishing new swards (including grass margins) | |
| by natural regeneration | Assessment of signs of natural regeneration which can be identified by its rough and weedy appearance. A range of species, bare patches will be present and hybrid agricultural grass species will be absent. |
| by re-seeding | Identification of plants in the sward to detect evidence of signs of species that are non prescribed species. Where relevant details of seed mix used, assessed through inspection of the agreement holders invoices. |
| Mowing and removal of cuttings requirements | Assessment of signs of weeds and bare ground as evidence of not removing cuttings after topping or careless use of inputs on the adjacent arable land |
| Cultivation/ drainage requirements | |
| Rolling - to prepare the ground for the new seasons grass growth. | Evidence of flattened grass, worm casts and clods. |
| Harrowing - to prepare a seed bed or later in the season when the ground is drier to remove weeds such as moss. | Evidence of loose, ripped vegetation on top of the sward and the resulting small bare patches where the weeds were growing. |
| Prohibition on Drainage works | Evidence of linear disturbance in the field either as a cut in the sward or more substantially as broken ground and bare earth. |
| Cutting Prescriptions | Assessment of the height/ volume of regrowth in relation to the stage in the growing season. |
| Grazing Prescriptions - the assessments below are used independently or in combination as appropriate | |
| Sward height - Agreements may prescribe vegetation heights to be achieved by a date or period. The requirements relate to sensitive times of the year e.g. to create suitable conditions for wintering or nesting birds or to create suitable conditions for less vigorous plants to become established/ flower. | Measurement of the sward height at the critical period of the year by use of a measuring stick or by assessing the suitability of the sward for, and/or presence of, less vigorous species throughout the year. |
| Supplementary feeding - Usually prohibited except where necessary to achieve the conservation objectives e.g. to keep stock on coarse grass for longer into the winter. | Assessment of evidence (which usually remains for much of the year) including signs of poaching around feeding troughs or improvised feed sites or by the presence of concentrate buckets/blocks, loose hay or other food remains around the site or poaching away from gateways. |
| Stocking densities - usually prescribed to achieve long term low grazing intensity or shorter periods of restriction for example to encourage wild flowers. | Assessment of the number of stock present during the period specified or the suitability of the sward for, and /or presence of, target plant species throughout the year. |
Page last modified:
17 August, 2005
Page published: 10 December, 2002