Schedule 2 ADDITIONAL PROVISIONS TO WHICH PAYMENTS REFERRED TO IN SCHEDULE 7, PART II, ITEM 1 RELATE

As regards any land which is the subject of an agreement, which is suitable for reversion to chalk downland and which either has been converted from arable land to grassland under a previous agreement or, on 31st August 1991, was in arable cropping or had been in ley management for less than five years as part of an arable rotation, requirements to the effect that–

(a)

the farmer shall cease arable or intensive grassland production and shall establish a grassland sward within twelve months of the start of the agreement using a seed mixture agreed by the Minister;

(b)

during a period of twelve months from the start of the agreement the farmer shall not apply to the land–

(i)

any fertiliser,

(ii)

lime, slag or any substance designed to reduce the acidity of the soil, or

(iii)

any pesticide,

without obtaining the Minister’s prior approval;

(c)

during each of the three years following grassland establishment, the farmer shall cut the grassland sward, shall remove the cuttings as hay or silage and graze the aftermath, and shall not make the first cut before 1st July in any given year;

(d)

the farmer shall not exceed a stocking level of 1.4 livestock units per hectare of the land, and for the purposes of this paragraph, “livestock unit” means–

(i)

1 bovine animal more than 2 years old;

(ii)

1.66 bovine animals no younger than 6 months old but less than 2 years old;

(iii)

6.66 sheep; or

(iv)

1 horse more than 6 months old or pony more than 6 months old; and

(e)

after the expiry of the twelve month period referred to in paragraph (a) above, the farmer shall also observe the requirements of Schedule 1, paragraph 1, except that he may cultivate the grassland sward using a chain harrow or roller during the three years from the start of the agreement.