Schedule 3 ADDITIONAL PROVISIONS—I (PERMANENT GRASSLAND)

Changes not yet applied. Later legislation changes this provision in ways not yet written into the text below:

Sch.3 amended by Environmentally Sensitive Areas (Essex Coast) Designation 1996 art.2(3)(b)
Sch.3, Option 1, para.d) (a) amended by Environmentally Sensitive Areas (Essex Coast) Designation 1996 art.2(3)(a)
Sch.3, Option 1, para.d) (c) amended by Environmentally Sensitive Areas (Essex Coast) Designation 1996 art.2(3)(c)
Sch.3, Option 2, para.(7) substituted by Environmentally Sensitive Areas (Essex Coast) Designation 1996 art.2(3)(e)
Sch.3, Option 1, para.(8) substituted by Environmentally Sensitive Areas (Essex Coast) Designation 1996 art.2(3)(d)
Schs.3-5 revoked by Environmentally Sensitive Areas (Essex Coast) Designation 1999 art.10(b)

As regards any permanent grassland which is the subject of an agreement—

(1)

the farmer shall ensure that water levels in the ditches and dykes—

(a)

provide at least 30cm of water in the bottom from 1st August in any year until the following 28th February inclusive,

(b)

begin rising no later than 1st March in any year,

(c)

are maintained at not more than 45cm below mean field level from 1st April until 31stJuly inclusive in any year and for as long as possible thereafter;

(2)

the farmer shall not carry out any mechanical operations on the land from 1st April until 15th July inclusive in any year;

(3)

the farmer shall graze with cattle or sheep or both, or with horses in conjunction with cattle or sheep or both, but not so as to ause poaching, overgrazing or undergrazing. He shall not exceed a stocking level of 0.75 livestock units per hectare from 1st April until 15th May inclusive in any year;

(4)

the farmer shall not top the grass or cut it for hay or silage before 16th July in any year;

(5)

the farmer shall restrict supplementary feeding of livestock to areas agreed in writing in advance with the Minister;

(6)

the farmer shall not increase existing application rates of inorganic fertiliser and in any case shall not apply more than 50kg nitrogen per hectare per year;

(7)

the farmer shall not apply any organic fertiliser other than farmyard manure. He shall not increase existing application rates and in any case shall not apply more than 12.5 tonnes of farmyard manure per hectare per year. Where the farmer applies farmyard manure, it shall be applied in a single dressing and shall not be applied from 1st April until 15th July inclusive in any year;

(8)

within two years of the start of the agreement the farmer shall agree in writing with the Minister a programme for the management of ditches and dykes for which he is responsible.