Maintain and enhance biodiversity: Birds - improve habitat and management Increase winter food sources for birds Hedgerows are protected and enhanced Hedgerows are not trimmed during the bird nesting season
Allow saplings to grow into hedgerow trees at intervals (e.g. 4 trees randomly spaced over 200 m) where this fits in with the local landscape character
Hedges should have a mixture of heights and widths
Hedges should be maintained to a height which is customary to the local landscape (but no less than 1.5 m)
Do not trim hedges more than once every two or three years
Avoid cutting all hedges on a farm in the same year
Remove hedgerows
Hedgerows are not removed (without permission)
Habitats are not damaged by cultivation Create a buffer strip between cultivations and the surrounding environment
Hedgerows are trimmed more often than every two or three years
Protect ancient trees in intensively-managed grass fields Do not carry out any cultivations, storage of materials or machinery, or weed control under the canopy of in-field trees
Do not spread fertiliser, farmyard manure or inorganic N, P or K beneath the canopy of in-field trees
Do not carry out supplementary feeding of stock under the canopy of in-field trees
Protect ancient trees in arable fields Do not carry out any cultivations, storage of materials or machinery, or weed control under the canopy of in-field trees
Do not spread fertiliser, farmyard manure or inorganic N, P or K beneath the canopy of in-field trees
Moorland is protected and maintained
Woodlands are protected and maintained Livestock are excluded from woodland
Do not supplementary feed or locate water troughs and mineral licks in such a way as to cause poaching on woodland
Create a buffer strip between cultivations and the surrounding environment
Wet ditches are protected and maintained Create a buffer strip between cultivations and the surrounding environment
Do not cut ditch banks more than once every two or three years
Only use mechanical means (do not use chemicals) to clean your ditches or trim your bank
Ditches are not moved or re-profiled
Ditches are not cleared during the bird nesting season
Maintain (or increase) the area of unimproved grassland on farms
Increase seed food sources for birds on grassland farms Take field corners out of management in grassland fields
Protect ancient trees in intensively-managed grass fields Do not carry out any cultivations, storage of materials or machinery, or weed control under the canopy of in-field trees
Do not spread fertiliser, farmyard manure or inorganic N, P or K beneath the canopy of in-field trees
Do not carry out supplementary feeding of stock under the canopy of in-field trees
Increase seed food sources for birds on arable farms Provide foraging sites for seed-eating birds Create 6m uncropped cultivated margins on arable land
Protect ancient trees in arable fields Do not carry out any cultivations, storage of materials or machinery, or weed control under the canopy of in-field trees
Do not spread fertiliser, farmyard manure or inorganic N, P or K beneath the canopy of in-field trees
Undersow crops
Sow 6m wide blocks or strips with a combination of small-seed bearing crops (e.g. cereal, kale, quinoa, linseed, millet, mustard, fodder radish, borage)
Create grassy habitat in corners of arable fields
Over-wintered stubbles
Increase summer food sources for birds Maintain (or Increase) the area of rough grassland on farms
Create grassy habitat in corners of arable fields
Protect ancient trees in intensively-managed grass fields Do not carry out any cultivations, storage of materials or machinery, or weed control under the canopy of in-field trees
Do not spread fertiliser, farmyard manure or inorganic N, P or K beneath the canopy of in-field trees
Do not carry out supplementary feeding of stock under the canopy of in-field trees
Protect ancient trees in arable fields Do not carry out any cultivations, storage of materials or machinery, or weed control under the canopy of in-field trees
Do not spread fertiliser, farmyard manure or inorganic N, P or K beneath the canopy of in-field trees
Moorland is protected and maintained
Watercourses are protected and maintained
Woodlands are protected and maintained Livestock are excluded from woodland
Do not supplementary feed or locate water troughs and mineral licks in such a way as to cause poaching on woodland
Create a buffer strip between cultivations and the surrounding environment
Wet ditches are protected and maintained Create a buffer strip between cultivations and the surrounding environment
Do not cut ditch banks more than once every two or three years
Only use mechanical means (do not use chemicals) to clean your ditches or trim your bank
Ditches are not moved or re-profiled
Ditches are not cleared during the bird nesting season
In-field ponds are protected and maintained
Maintain rush pastures
Maintain (or increase) the area of unimproved grassland on farms
Encourage rare arable plants Restrict the application of pesticides and nutrients in conservation headlands in cereal fields
Create beetle banks
Create skylark plots
Increase seed food sources for birds on grassland farms Take field corners out of management in grassland fields
Protect ancient trees in intensively-managed grass fields Do not carry out any cultivations, storage of materials or machinery, or weed control under the canopy of in-field trees
Do not spread fertiliser, farmyard manure or inorganic N, P or K beneath the canopy of in-field trees
Do not carry out supplementary feeding of stock under the canopy of in-field trees
Increase pollen and nectar sources Sow 6m wide blocks or strips with a mixture of pollen and nectar rich plants
Minimise disturbance to wildlife habitats Hedgerows are not trimmed during the bird nesting season
Heather and grass moorland are burnt outside the burning season
Heather and grass moorland are not burnt outside the burning season
Do not cut ditch banks more than once every two or three years
Ditches are not moved or re-profiled
Only one side of a ditch is cleared in any single year
Ditches are not cleared during the bird nesting season
Hedgerows are trimmed more often than every two or three years
Increase nesting habitats for birds Retain all standing deadwood unless it presents a safety hazard
Take field corners out of management in grassland fields
Create grassy habitat in corners of arable fields
Protect ancient trees in intensively-managed grass fields Do not carry out any cultivations, storage of materials or machinery, or weed control under the canopy of in-field trees
Do not spread fertiliser, farmyard manure or inorganic N, P or K beneath the canopy of in-field trees
Do not carry out supplementary feeding of stock under the canopy of in-field trees
Protect ancient trees in arable fields Do not carry out any cultivations, storage of materials or machinery, or weed control under the canopy of in-field trees
Do not spread fertiliser, farmyard manure or inorganic N, P or K beneath the canopy of in-field trees
Moorland is protected and maintained
Watercourses are protected and maintained
Woodlands are protected and maintained Livestock are excluded from woodland
Do not supplementary feed or locate water troughs and mineral licks in such a way as to cause poaching on woodland
Create a buffer strip between cultivations and the surrounding environment
Wet ditches are protected and maintained Create a buffer strip between cultivations and the surrounding environment
Do not cut ditch banks more than once every two or three years
Only use mechanical means (do not use chemicals) to clean your ditches or trim your bank
Ditches are not moved or re-profiled
Ditches are not cleared during the bird nesting season
In-field ponds are protected and maintained
Field boundary trees are protected and maintained
Maintain rush pastures
Maintain (or increase) the area of unimproved grassland on farms
Create beetle banks
Create skylark plots
Hedgerows are protected and enhanced Hedgerows are not trimmed during the bird nesting season
Allow saplings to grow into hedgerow trees at intervals (e.g. 4 trees randomly spaced over 200 m) where this fits in with the local landscape character
Hedges should have a mixture of heights and widths
Hedges should be maintained to a height which is customary to the local landscape (but no less than 1.5 m)
Do not trim hedges more than once every two or three years
Avoid cutting all hedges on a farm in the same year
Remove hedgerows
Hedgerows are not removed (without permission)
Habitats are not damaged by cultivation Create a buffer strip between cultivations and the surrounding environment
Hedgerows are trimmed more often than every two or three years
Maintain (or Increase) the area of rough grassland on farms
Protect, manage and maintain Sites of Special Scientific Interest (SSSIs) Intentionally or recklessly destroy or damage any of the special interest features of an SSSI
Obtain consent before starting or permitting any specified operation on an SSSI
Comply with all SSSI management notices
Create, extend or enhance riparian vegetation Dredging or spoil must be levelled along the bank and the bankside vegetation re-established by natural regeneration
Dredging or spoil is not levelled along the bank and the bankside vegetation is destroyed