Defra

EL1 Field corner management

Although this option is designed for field corners, if you have small areas within the field which would be beneficial to take out of production, you may do so. The provision of unmanaged areas will increase the biodiversity of the farm. This option must not be located on archaeological sites.

Moorland rough grazing

For this option you must:

• Patch size must be no more than 0.5 ha. You may have no more than one patch for every 10 ha of land eligible for this option and, as far as possible, they must be distributed evenly across your farm.
• Do not apply fertiliser or manure.
• Apply herbicides only to spot treat or weed wipe for the control of injurious weeds (i.e. creeping or spear thistle, curled or broadleaved dock or common ragwort), or invasive alien species (e.g. Himalayan balsam, rhododendron or Japanese knotweed).
• You may cut only to control woody growth (and no more frequently than one year in five), so allowing scrub to develop.

EL1, 100 points per ha

EL2 Manage permanent in-bye grassland with low inputs

Meadows and pastures managed with low inputs of fertiliser and sprays will sustain higher numbers of plants, butterflies and other insects than those subject to greater intensification. This grassland has usually received regular but low levels of organic and/or inorganic fertiliser and may be drained. Most will contain some ryegrass and white clover. This offers the best protection for archaeological features and is an important part of the landscape character. In addition, the more extensively managed the grassland, the less the likelihood of run-off of nutrients into watercourses. This option can be used on a whole or part-field basis.

For this option you must:

• Maintain as grass, do not plough or re-seed.
• Do not apply more than 50 kg/ha nitrogen per year as inorganic fertiliser. Where animal manures are applied, either alone or in addition to inorganic fertiliser, the total rate of nitrogen must not exceed 100 kg/ha N per year (see appendix 2 for N conversion table). Do not apply between 1 April and 31 May. If your current manure or fertiliser regime is less than this you must not increase applications.
• Do not cultivate.
• Supplementary feeding is allowed, but move feeders as often as required to avoid excessive poaching and do not feed on or next to archaeological sites, steep slopes, footpaths or watercourses.
• Manage by light grazing and/or cutting but do not cut or top between 1 April and 31 May.
• Do not harrow or roll between 1 April and 31 May.
• Apply herbicides only to spot treat or weed wipe for the control of injurious weeds (i.e. creeping or spear thistle, curled or broadleaved dock, or common ragwort), or invasive alien species (e.g. Himalayan balsam, rhododendron or Japanese knotweed).

EL2, 35 points per ha

EL3 Manage in-bye pasture and meadows with very low inputs

Grassland managed with no fertiliser has a higher value for wildlife. Agricultural intensification has destroyed much species-rich grassland and it is important to maintain and, where possible, increase this resource. If your field has more than a third of its area covered by rushes, it must go into option EL4, Management of rush pastures (LFA land), rather than this option.

For this option you must:

• Maintain as grass, do not plough or re-seed.
• You may apply up to 12.5 tonnes/ha (5t/acre) of FYM a year in a single application. This must not be applied between 1 April and 30 June to avoid damage to ground nesting bird sites. No other type of fertiliser or manure may be applied.
• Do not cultivate.
• Manage by grazing and/or cutting, to remove each year's grass growth.
• Do not supplementary feed.
• Do not cut or top between 1 April and 30 June.
• Do not harrow or roll between 1 April and 30 June.
• Apply herbicides only to spot treat or weed wipe for the control of injurious weeds (i.e. creeping or spear thistle, curled or broadleaved dock, or common ragwort), or invasive alien species (e.g. Himalayan balsam, rhododendron or Japanese knotweed).

EL3, 60 points per ha

EL4 Management of rush pastures (LFA land)

This option is available for fields where at least a third of the field area is covered by rushes. Damp pasture on farmland is a very important potential habitat for lapwing, curlew, redshank, snipe and reed bunting. Different types of waders like different vegetation heights, so a variety in the sward structure is most beneficial.

For this option you must:

• Do not apply more than 50 kg/ha nitrogen per year as inorganic fertiliser. Where animal manures are applied, either alone or in addition to inorganic fertiliser, the total rate of nitrogen must not exceed 100 kg/ha N per year (see appendix 2 for N conversion table). Do not apply between 1 April and 31 May. If your current manure or fertiliser regime is less than this you must not increase applications.
• Cut rush dominated fields each year, but not between 1 April and 1 August. Cut no more than a third of the area of rushes in each field, or a third of the fields if they are small (i.e. less than 3 ha) in rotation. It may be impractical to cut rushes in the wettest flushes and therefore these can be left. Cattle trampling may help to control these areas.
• Where possible, graze the aftermath with cattle.
• Once cut, if rushes are not controlled by aftermath grazing, a second cut should be carried out within eight weeks, but not between 1 April and 1 August.
• Apply herbicides only to spot treat or weed wipe for the control of injurious weeds (i.e. creeping or spear thistle, curled or broadleaved dock or common ragwort), or invasive alien species (e.g. Himalayan balsam, rhododendron or Japanese knotweed).

EL4, 60 points per ha

EL5 Enclosed rough grazing

This option is only available on LFA land in parcels of less than 15 ha.

Commonly known as allotments, intakes or newtakes, these are areas of enclosed land of less than 15 ha used exclusively for grazing, of which the majority has not been drained, re-seeded or regularly cultivated. They have received only minimal applications of fertiliser, lime, slag or pesticides. They will contain predominantly semi-natural vegetation, usually of moorland grasses and rushes, and sometimes rocky and very wet areas. They may also contain small areas of agriculturally improved land.

For this option you must:

• Do not apply fertiliser, manure, lime or slag.
• Do not cultivate.
• Do not supplementary feed.
• Do not increase your existing stocking level.
• Protect permanently waterlogged wetlands, including peat bogs and other mires, and hillside flushes. Do not install any new land drainage or modify any existing land drainage, or remove any peat or sediment.
• Do not remove rocks, scree or mineral spoil.
• Apply herbicides only to spot treat or weed wipe for the control of injurious weeds (i.e. creeping or spear thistle, curled or broadleaved dock or common ragwort), or invasive alien species (e.g. Himalayan balsam, rhododendron or Japanese knotweed). Bracken should be controlled by mechanical means wherever possible. Where this is not possible, asulam is the only permitted herbicide to be used.

EL5, 35 points per ha

EL6 Moorland and rough grazing

This option is only available within LFA land in parcels of 15 ha or more.

For this option you must:

• Manage the land without applying fertiliser, manure, lime or slag.
• Do not cultivate.
• Protect permanently waterlogged wetlands, including peat bogs and other mires, and hillside flushes. Do not install any new land drainage or modify any existing drainage that would increase run-off. Do not remove any peat or sediment from drainage channels.
• Leave rocks, scree and mineral spoil in place.
• Do not supplementary feed using silage or other forage wrapped in plastic. Ring feeders or troughs should not be used. All feeding sites should be moved regularly to minimise damage to vegetation and soils and care must be taken to avoid damage by vehicles.
• Take action to contain bracken, rhododendron, gorse or similar infestation so that they do not spread to new areas of land. Wherever possible, control of bracken should be by mechanical means. Otherwise, to chemically control bracken, only asulam may be used, and care must be taken not to apply it to other ferns. For common gorse, control should be by cutting or burning in manageable blocks. If the land is in a water catchment area, a SSSI or Scheduled Monument, you must seek consent from the appropriate authority.
• Rhododendron and other invasive alien species must be cut and the stumps treated immediately with herbicide to prevent spread on to new areas of land. At least one follow-up treatment will be required in subsequent years to control the re-growth.
• Apply herbicides only to spot treat or weed wipe for the control of injurious weeds (i.e. creeping or spear thistle, curled or broadleaved dock or common ragwort).
• Where you have the legal right to carry out burning, and intend to do so, you must follow the Defra Heather and Grass Burning Code. You may obtain a copy of the Code from your RDS office.

EL6, 5 points per ha