188体育

Duration

3 years

How much you鈥檒l be paid 聽

拢4 per 100 metres (m) for both sides

Action鈥檚 aim聽

This action鈥檚 aim is that there are ditches with:

• varied bankside and aquatic vegetation
• undisturbed wildlife habitat

The purpose of this is to:

• maintain vegetation that鈥檚 typical of wet ditches
• provide habitats for wildlife

Where you can do this action聽

An eligible ditch for this action must:

• form part of the boundary of a land parcel that鈥檚 located below the moorland line
• be a man-made, long and narrow linear channel that鈥檚 cut into the ground for the purpose of draining the land or managing water levels
• have vegetated banks
• regularly contain standing or flowing water

You can only do this action on both sides of the entire length of an eligible ditch. This means you must have management control of both sides of the ditch. You can choose what length to enter.

You can enter both sides of a ditch that borders a neighbour鈥檚 land if you meet both of the following conditions:

• you have a legal right or obligation to manage the ditch
• you can meet this action鈥檚 requirements

You cannot do this action on ditches managed by third parties, such as .

The following features are not eligible for this action:

• ditches located in a severely disadvantaged area (SDA) below the moorland line
• culverts or underground drains
• natural watercourses, such as streams
• non-linear water features, such as ponds, lakes or reservoirs
• grips, gutters and foot drains

Eligibility of protected land

Protected land	Eligibility
Sites of special scientific interest (SSSIs)	Ineligible 鈥� you must not enter any area that鈥檚 designated as an SSSI into this action
Historic and archaeological features	Eligible 鈥� you must get a SFI HEFER before you do this action (read section 5.6鈥�鈥橪and with historic or archaeological features鈥� in the SFI scheme information to find out how to do this)

Available area you can enter聽into this action

Not applicable, as this is a linear action.

Rotational or static action聽

This action is static. This means you must do it at the same location each year of this action鈥檚 duration.

What to do

You must manage the ditch in a way that can reasonably be expected to achieve this action鈥檚 aim, including:

• cutting vegetation at the top of the ditch bank in rotation, so you only cut up to half the length of the ditch bank in any year of this action鈥檚 3-year duration
• carrying out in-channel management on any section of the ditch no more than once during this action鈥檚 3-year duration 鈥� this includes cleaning out silt or vegetation and cutting vegetation in the ditch channel

To minimise disturbance to wildlife, you must only manage the ditch during the autumn, winter and early spring (usually September to late March).

You must not re-profile or increase the width or depth of the ditch.

When to do it聽聽

You must do this action from its start date, throughout each year of its 3-year duration.

If this action鈥檚 start date means it鈥檚 too late for you to do this action, you must start doing it within 12 months of the action鈥檚 start date.

How to do it聽

It鈥檚 up to you how you do this action, as long as you:

• follow this action鈥檚 requirements 鈥� these are identified by a 鈥榤ust鈥�
• do the action in a way that could reasonably be expected to achieve this action鈥檚 aim

You may find it helpful to read the 鈥榓dvice to help you do this action鈥�, but it鈥檚 not part of this action鈥檚 requirements.

Evidence to keep聽

Keep evidence to show what you鈥檝e done to complete this action, such as:

• ditch management operations at a land parcel level and associated invoices
• photographs and other documentation

If it鈥檚 not clear that you鈥檝e done this action in a way that could reasonably be expected to achieve its aim, we may ask for this evidence. You must supply the evidence if we ask for it.

Other actions or options you can do on the same area as this action聽

You can do the following actions or options on the same area in a land parcel as this action. Some actions or options can only be done on the same area if they鈥檙e done at a different time of year to this action. For example, winter cover followed by a summer companion crop. Read 鈥榃hat to do鈥� and 鈥榃hen to do it鈥� to find out when this action must be done.

Scheme	Action or option codes
SFI 2024 actions	All SFI 2024 actions, except BND1
SFI 2023 actions	All SFI 2023 actions
CS options	All CS management options, including BE3 (management of hedgerows)
ES options	All ES revenue options, except boundary options
SFI pilot standards	All SFI pilot standards, including all levels of the SFI pilot hedgerows standard

If an action or option cannot be located on the same area, you may be able to do it on a different area in the same land parcel. Read section 6. 鈥楨ligible land in other funding schemes鈥� in the SFI scheme information for more details.

Advice to help you do this action聽

The following advice may help you to do this action, but it鈥檚 not part of this action鈥檚 requirements.

Managing ditches

To help you achieve this action鈥檚 aim, you can:

• cut vegetation at the top of the ditch bank (where needed) with cutters set high, to leave vegetation that鈥檚 around 10 centimetres (cm) to 15cm high
• carry out bankside cutting (where needed) during late summer or early autumn
• carry out in-channel management using appropriate machinery and without affecting the banks
• work from one bank only, leaving short stretches (for example, around 10m to 20m) undisturbed to provide a refuge for wildlife
• progress work upstream to allow dislodged pieces of plant and invertebrates to float downstream to live in the ditch again
• leave around at least one third of the overall ditch area undisturbed each year 鈥� managing your ditches less frequently will provide undisturbed habitat for wildlife (including the water vole)

Make sure you follow the farming rules for water. These require you to take steps to stop manure, fertiliser or soil getting into waterbodies and watercourses. Maintaining good water quality in your ditches will help to protect insects or plants that live in them.

Before you carry out work on your ditches, check if you need to get consents or permissions. Read section 10 鈥楪et all necessary regulatory consents, permissions and licences in place鈥� in the SFI scheme information.

You may find it helpful to read .

Cutting vegetation

To cut vegetation at the top of the ditch bank in rotation, you can either:

• cut one side of the ditch and leaving the other side uncut as a wildlife corridor
• leave alternate sections uncut

You can control weeds on the ditch banks by cutting or hand pulling. If you need to use herbicides:

• follow the label recommendations
• get permission from the Environment Agency before you use herbicides to control weeds and unwanted vegetation in or close to a river or watercourse

Carrying out in-channel management

Carrying out in-channel management of your ditches on a rotation will help to provide a range of different conditions to benefit many species. For example:

• insects, that need shallow water, muddy areas and flower-rich bankside vegetation
• birds like warblers, that need tall vegetation and reeds

If you carry out in-channel management on the ditch, you can deposit the silt and vegetation (known as 鈥榮poil鈥�) on the field adjacent to the ditch. When you do this, try to avoid:

• spreading the spoil on areas of grassland that are rich in wildflowers
• using the spoil to infill low lying areas
• spreading the spoil on the ditch鈥檚 bank face
• spreading the spoil on land with historic or archaeological features
• creating spoil banks in wet grassland and wetland areas, as they stop water movement on and off the field

Controlling invasive, non-native species

Invasive, non-native species (such as Himalayan balsam and Japanese knotweed) can shade out or out-complete native plants in your ditch.

You may need to:

• monitor and control invasive, non-native plant species to stop them spreading
• get advice if your ditch contains invasive water plants like crassula (New Zealand pygmyweed) or floating pennywort
• dispose of ditch spoil that contains invasive, non-native species safely, instead of spreading it on the adjacent field