CMOR1: Assess moorland and produce a written record
What you must do to get paid for this action and advice on how to do it.
This is an action in the Sustainable Farming Incentive (SFI) scheme: expanded offer for 2024. You must read the SFI scheme information to understand the scheme rules and how to apply.
Duration
3 years
How much you’ll be paid
£10.60 per hectare (ha) per year and £272 per SFI agreement per year
Action’s aim
This action’s aim is that you understand how your moorland contributes to providing environmental benefits and how it could provide more in the future.
Where you can do this action
You can do this action on land located above the moorland line that’s:
- an eligible land type (read section 5.1 ‘Eligible land types for SFI’)
- registered with an eligible land cover on your digital maps
- declared with a land use code which is compatible with the eligible land cover
You cannot enter land above the moorland line into this action if:
- it’s a farmyard
- it’s used for turf or peat production
- the majority of its area is located below the moorland line
- it’s permanent grassland below the moorland line
Eligible land
| Eligible land type | Eligible land cover | Compatible land use code |
|---|---|---|
| Moorland | Permanent grassland | PG01 |
| Non-agricultural areas, such as scrub, scree, bracken and bog | Relevant non-agricultural land cover | Relevant land use codes for non-agricultural land |
Eligibility of protected land
| Protected land | Eligibility |
|---|---|
| Sites of special scientific interest (SSSIs) | Eligible – you do not need to get SSSI consent for this action |
| Historic and archaeological features | Eligible – you must get a HEFER before you do this action (read section 5.6 ‘Land with historic or archaeological features’) |
Available area you can enter into this action
Total available area in a land parcel.
Rotational or static action
This is a static action. This means you must do it at the same location each year of this action’s duration.
What to do
You must complete a survey to identify, assess and record the soil, vegetation and historic and archaeological features across the moorland area entered into this action.
To complete the survey, you must:
- divide the moorland area you enter into this action into blocks of around 10ha
- select a sample point within each 10ha block that’s broadly representative of the block’s main vegetation and soil types
At each sample point, you must identify, assess and record:
- soil types and condition, including the depth and wetness of any peat
- vegetation types and condition, including their height and structure
- the extent of bare ground
- the presence of historic and archaeological features – these will be identified in your SFI HEFER
You must use the information you’ve collected during your survey of the moorland to identify and record:
- environmental benefits the moorland is already providing
- opportunities to maintain, enhance or restore the moorland to keep providing environmental benefits or provide more
These environmental benefits include carbon storage, water storage and flow, biodiversity and heritage.
You can use a survey you’ve previously done of your moorland to get paid for this action if it:
- meets the requirements explained in this action
- was done in the last 12 months
When to do it
Within 12 months of this action’s start date you must:
- survey and record the required information for one sample point in each 10ha block of the moorland
- use the information from the survey to assess and record the environmental benefits the moorland already provides
- use this information to produce a record of opportunities to maintain or enhance the moorland to keep providing environmental benefits or provide more
In each subsequent year of this action’s duration, you must:
- repeat the survey at a different sample point within each 10ha block, trying to do this at about the same time each year
- use the further surveys to review your record of the environmental benefits the moorland already provides
- review your record of the opportunities to maintain, enhance or restore the moorland to keep providing environmental benefits or provide more
How to do it
It’s up to you how you do this action, as long as you:
- follow this action’s requirements – these are identified by a ‘must’
- do the action in a way that could reasonably be expected to achieve this action’s aim
Advice to help you do this action will be published before applications are fully launched from summer 2024. It will not be part of this action’s requirements.
Evidence to keep
You must keep a written record of your:
- survey of the moorland
- assessment of the environmental benefits the moorland is already providing
- assessment of opportunities to maintain, enhance or restore the moorland to keep providing environmental benefits or provide more
You must supply this evidence when we ask for it.
Other actions or options you can do on the same area as this action
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’re done at a different time of year to this action. For example, winter cover followed by a summer companion crop. Read ‘What to do’ and ‘When to do it’ to find out when this action must be done.
| Scheme | Action or option codes |
|---|---|
| SFI 2024 actions | HEF5, HEF6, HEF8, OFM3, UPL1, UPL2, UPL3, UPL7, UPL8, UPL9, UPL10 (if located above the moorland line) |
| SFI 2023 actions | None |
| CS options | All CS management options (if located above the moorland line) |
| ES options | All ES revenue options (if located above the moorland line) |
| SFI pilot standards | No SFI pilot standards |
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 ‘Eligible land in other funding schemes’ for more information.
You can do the following actions or options on the eligible boundaries of a land parcel entered into this action:
- SFI 2024 actions: CHRW1, CHRW2, CHRW3, BND1 and BND2
- SFI 2023 actions: HRW1, HRW2, HRW3
- CS option BE3 (management of hedgerows)
- the introductory level of the SFI pilot hedgerows standard