Paragraph 3
The farmer shall not apply herbicides, pesticides, lime or fertiliser (including farmyard manure and slurry) to rough grazings, unimproved pasture, reverted improved land, wetlands, water margins, amenity or native or semi-natural woodland and scrub, except that:
herbicides may be applied to control spear thistle (cirsium vulgare), creeping or field thistle (cirsium arvense), curled dock (rumex crispus), broadleaved dock (rumex obtusifolius), or ragwort (senecio jacobaea) and, with the prior written approval of the Secretary of State, for the control of other plants; and any herbicides used must be applied by weed wiper, spot treatment or hand spraying or, with the prior written approval of the Secretary of State, by other methods;
lime and fertiliser may be applied to unimproved pasture and reverted improved land with the prior written approval of the Secretary of State, provided that the level of application does not result in the deterioration or loss of the features of interest.