AB10: Unharvested cereal headland
Find out about eligibility and requirements for the unharvested cereal headland option.
How much will be paid
£1,072 per hectare (ha).
Where to use this option
It is available for Countryside Stewardship Mid Tier and Higher Tier on whole or part parcels in rotation on:
- arable land
- temporary grassland
Related Mid Tier options
You can locate the following options and supplements on the same area as this option.
- HS3 – Reduced-depth, non-inversion cultivation on historic and archaeological features
- HS9 – Restricted depth crop establishment to protect archaeology under an arable rotation
- OR3 – Organic conversion – rotational land
- OT3 – Organic land management – rotational land
How this option will benefit the environment
It provides an important food source for farmland birds throughout the year and insects in the summer, and provides both grain and seeding arable plants in winter.
It will enable a range of declining arable plants and other broad-leaved plants to establish.
There will be plants providing summer and winter foraging for declining and localised farmland birds (especially grey partridge), mammals and important farmland pollinator species, such as bees and other beneficial insects.
The weedy unharvested cereals will provide over-wintering habitat for insects and food for seed-eating farmland birds.
Aims
If you’re selected for a site visit, we will check that delivery of the aims is being met and the prohibited activities have not been carried out. This will ensure the environmental benefits are being delivered.
During the spring the cereal crop (not maize), planted at a reduced density in plots or strips at least 6 metres (m) wide, will be establishing and growing.
During the summer, autumn and winter the crop and any naturally occurring arable plants will remain unharvested, until mid February in the following year.
Prohibited activities
To achieve the aims and deliver the environmental benefits, do not carry out any of the following activities:
- apply any herbicides except those on the list of permitted active ingredients – see ‘Permitted active ingredients’ on AB7 - Whole crop cereals
- apply any fertilisers, manures or lime
- apply any insecticides after 15 March
On your annual claim you will be asked to declare that you have not carried out any prohibited activities.
Recommended management
To assist you in achieving the aims and deliver the environmental benefits for this option, we recommend that you use best practice.
We recommend that you:
- establish a cereal crop (not maize) between 1 February and 30 April
- manage as strips or plots at least 6m wide on a part or whole field basis
- create an open crop structure by managing the crop to deliver between 450 and 700 fertile tillers per square metre
- keep the unharvested cereal headland until 15 February
Keeping records
Where there is uncertainty about whether the aims of the options have been delivered, we will take into account any records or evidence you may have kept demonstrating delivery of the aims of the option. This will include any steps you’ve taken to follow the recommended management set out above. It’s your responsibility to keep such records if you want to rely on these to support your claim.
- Photographs of the option
Additional guidance and advice
The following advice is helpful but they are not requirements for this item.
Pick the right location
This option can be successful on most soil types but ideally choose a location with low levels of thistles or problem weeds such as blackgrass. This will help the beneficial arable plants in the soil seedbank to grow without competition and provide a range of valuable habitats during the growing season. It will also allow the arable flora to set seed during the early summer period and retains the insect-rich habitat for foraging farmland birds.
Sowing the crop
It’s important to make sure that the crop delivering the unharvested headland is not too dense, which restricts the foraging opportunities for farmland birds such as grey partridge. Managing the seed rate by considering drilling date, seed thousand grain weight, varietal tillering capacity and soil conditions will help achieve the required open crop structure.
Using herbicides
The aim for this option is to encourage the natural populations of arable plants that support both insects and farmland birds. Applying broad-spectrum herbicide during the cropping season and non-selective herbicides to help with harvest stops this from happening. Therefore, only a limited number of herbicide actives are permitted in this option.
Permitted active ingredients
The following herbicide active ingredients can be used.
- Amidosulfuron
- Clodinafop-propargyl
- Fenoxaprop-P-ethyl
- Pinoxaden
- Tri-allate
The permitted active ingredients cannot necessarily be used on all eligible crops within options AB7, AB10 and AB14. It’s your responsibility to confirm whether herbicides are approved for use on the affected crop. Always use pesticides in full accordance with the product label conditions of use.
Integrated Pest Management (IPM)
This option can form part of an IPM approach to prevent the establishment of pests, weeds and diseases. If successful, appropriate and within proximity of cropped areas, these may limit the need for the use of Plant Protection Products and enhance wildlife and biodiversity on your holding. Read information on IPM at AHDB (Agriculture and Horticulture Development Board) Integrated Pest Management and LEAF (Linking Environment and Farming).
Biodiversity
This option has been identified as being beneficial for biodiversity. All Countryside Stewardship habitat creation, restoration and management options are of great significance for biodiversity recovery, as are the wide range of arable options in the scheme. Capital items and supplements can support this habitat work depending on the holding’s situation and potential.
The connectivity of habitats is also very important and habitat options should be linked wherever possible. Better connectivity will allow wildlife to move/colonise freely to access water, food, shelter and breeding habitat, and will allow natural communities of both animals and plants to adapt in response to environmental and climate change.
Further information
Read Countryside Stewardship: get funding to protect and improve the land you manage to find out more information about Mid Tier and Higher Tier including how to apply.
Last updated 4 January 2024 + show all updates
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Update to How Much Is Paid
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Additional guidance and advice section updated - this option can form part of an Integrated Pest Management (IPM) approach to prevent the establishment of pests, weeds and diseases.
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'Air quality' added to Land use.
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Option updated for agreements starting from 1 January 2022.
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The Requirements, Keeping records and Advice and suggestions for how to carry out this option sections were updated yesterday
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The Keeping records section of this page has been updated
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List of permitted active ingredients added to section on Advice and suggestions.
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Updated for 2017 applications.
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Information updated for applications in 2016.
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First published.