CAB2: Basic overwintered stubble
Source: gov.uk (2025-09-10)

What you must do to get paid for this CSHT action and advice on how to do it.

This action is part of Countryside Stewardship Higher Tier (CSHT). You must read the CSHT guidance (https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/countryside-stewardship-higher-tier-csht) before you apply.

Duration

5 years

How much you’ll be paid

£58 per hectare (ha) per year

Action’s aim

This action’s aim is that there’s a post-harvest stubble remaining over the autumn and winter.

The purpose is to provide:
- a winter food source for seed-eating farmland birds
- foraging habitats for farmland wildlife
Where you can do this action

You can do this action on eligible land that’s located below the moorland line.

This action is only available on stubble following the harvest of cereals, oilseed rape and linseed.

The action must not be used:
- following the harvest of maize or sorghum
- on parcels at risk of soil erosion or run-off
- on organic land
Eligible land

You can do this action on land that’s:
- an eligible land type
- registered with an eligible land cover on your digital maps
- declared with a land use code (https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/land-use-codes-rural-payments) which is compatible with the eligible land cover
Available area you can enter into this action

Total or part of the available area in the land parcel.

Rotational or static action

This action is rotational or static. This means you can either:
- move the action every year
- keep it at the same location each year
What to do

Your Natural England adviser will assess your land. They’ll work with you to adapt and agree the activities you must do to achieve this action’s aim. All mandatory activities will be set out in your agreement document.

To get paid for this action, you must retain the stubble from harvest until mid-February.

You must not:
- apply pre-harvest crop desiccants
- apply post-harvest herbicides
- top or graze
- apply fertilisers, manures or lime to the stubble
In the final year of this action, you must do the action until around mid-February or this action’s end date (whichever is earlier).

When to do it

You must do this action each year of its duration.

Evidence to keep

You must keep evidence to show what you have done to complete this action. If it’s not clear that you have done this action in a way that could reasonably be expected to achieve its aim, the Rural Payments Agency (RPA) may ask for this evidence.

You must supply the evidence if they ask for it, including:
- field operations at a land parcel level
- associated invoices
- photographs
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.

You can do the following actions or options on the eligible boundaries of a land parcel entered into this action:
- CSHT actions: CWT3, CHRW4
- SFI 2024 actions: CHRW1, CHRW2, CHRW3, BND1, BND2, WBD10
- SFI 2023 actions: HRW1, HRW2, HRW3
- CS option BE3 (management of hedgerows)
Consents, permissions and licensing requirements

To apply for this action, you’ll need:
- Scheduled Monument Consent (https://historicengland.org.uk/advice/planning/consents/smc/) from Historic England for any work on scheduled monuments
- consent from Natural England for any activity on land designated as a site of special scientific interest (SSSI) (https://www.gov.uk/guidance/protected-areas-sites-of-special-scientific-interest#get-consent-to-carry-out-operations-on-your-land)
You may need to:
- agree an implementation plan or feasibility study with your Natural England adviser
- get advice from your Natural England adviser if you have other historic or archaeological features on your agreement land
- get a wildlife licence (https://www.gov.uk/guidance/wildlife-licences) from Natural England if your activities affect a protected species or their habitat
All historic and archaeological features (including scheduled monuments) are identified in your Historic Environment Farm Environment Record (HEFER).

If you’re a tenant, it’s your responsibility to check whether your tenancy agreement allows you to complete what’s required in the actions you choose. You may need your landlord’s consent.

Capital grants to support this action

If you need to complete an implementation plan or a feasibility study before you apply, you can apply for capital grants plans funding (https://www.gov.uk/government/collections/capital-items-guidance-for-applicants-and-agreement-holders#capital-grants-plans).

You can also apply for capital items (https://www.gov.uk/government/collections/capital-items-guidance-for-applicants-and-agreement-holders) to help you achieve the action’s aims. Your Natural England adviser will discuss eligible capital items with you.

Advice to help you do this action

The following optional advice may help you to do this action. Your agreement document will set out all the activities you must do.

Choosing the right location

Overwinter stubble is suitable for most soil types but is:

best suited to lighter (chalky or sandy) free-draining soils that support rare arable plants and have a low grass-weed burden (such as black-grass, couch and wild oats)

integrated most easily into crop rotations already growing spring sown crops

To maximise the benefits for wildlife, locate stubble:

close to areas of insect and seed-rich foraging habitat (such as winter bird food) or supplementary winter bird food feeding areas (or both)

close to habitats such as hedgerows, scrub and woodland that provide year-round food and shelter (including nesting opportunities)

on light, free-draining soils known to support ground-nesting birds such as corn bunting, lapwing and skylark

Plot size, shape and distribution

You can deliver basic overwinter stubble as part or whole-field plots.

Distributing multiple, larger blocks of stubble across your farm can help farmland birds and other wildlife:

find food and shelter

move more easily and safely between complementary habitats (such as hedgerows, ponds and field margins)

Small, isolated areas of whole crop cereal typically provide less benefits for wildlife.

Choosing suitable crop stubble

The best crop stubble for wildlife is:

spring sown crops, such as barley

crops managed with lower inputs, such as less nitrogen fertilizer, less herbicide and no insecticide after March

Barley stubble generally attracts more birds than wheat stubbles (which can be very clean). Spring barley stubble is generally better than winter barley stubble.

Linseed and oilseed rape stubble can also provide a rich source of seeds and shelter. Seeds may be less available compared to cereal crop stubbles, as the seeds of oilseed crops germinate more rapidly after rainfall.

Undersown crops can be less useful for seed-eating birds as the sown companion crop can make it harder for birds to find spilt grains. They can support overwintering insects such as sawflies that are an important food source for grey partridge chicks.

Sowing a cover crop on your stubble

You can sow a diverse mix of fast-growing cover crops such as buckwheat, crimson clover, fodder radish, mustard and phacelia before (by undersowing into a standing crop) or after harvest. This will provide:

late season pollen and nectar for wild pollinators

food and shelter for farmland birds and other wildlife (such as hare) over winter

cover to reduce the risk or erosion and run-off

To secure the right balance between outcomes for soil health, water quality and wildlife, you may need to:

establish cover or companion crops on a maximum of 50% of the stubble area in each parcel

avoid sowing mixes in areas of fields known to support rare arable plants

The following legume-based mix is suited to early planting after harvest:

mix: buckwheat, crimson clover, linseed, red clover, serradella and phacelia

sowing rate: 12kg/ha

Stubble height

Some seed-eating birds, such as the yellowhammer, prefer to forage in areas of open bare ground and very short vegetation that’s less than 6cm in height. They can find food more easily, see approaching danger and fly off.

Other farmland bird species such as grey partridge and skylark prefer areas of taller stubble and vegetation that’s more than 14 cm in height.

Raise and lower the combine header height by 10 to 20 cm occasionally when harvesting to:

provide the optimal range of stubble and vegetation heights

meet the foraging and cover requirements of different bird species

Supplementary feeding

You can also carry out supplementary feeding for seed-eating farmland birds over winter. This can be especially effective if stubble is adjacent to winter bird food plots, hedgerows and other complementary habitat.

To help birds find the spread seed, you may need to cut designated feeding areas. This will help keep vegetation short (below 10 cm tall) and maintain areas of bare ground.

Keeping basic overwinter stubble

Seed-eating birds generally experience a glut of food in the autumn immediately after harvest. They increasingly struggle to find food during the ‘hungry gap’ – the period between stubbles being cultivated and new seed sources becoming available in spring.

Retain all basic overwinter stubbles until at least mid-February. You can keep them into March to maximise the food and shelter available for farmland birds and other wildlife over winter. This is more feasible for plots located on light or medium soils. They’re easier to cultivate in the spring prior to sowing a following crop such as spring barley or sugar beet.

At the end of the stubble retention period, you may need to flail areas of taller vegetation within your stubbles (especially where a cover crop has been sown). This will make it easier to prepare a seed bed for following crops.

Getting extra funding

With approval from Natural England, you can sometimes use the CSP9: Support for threatened species (https://www.gov.uk/find-funding-for-land-or-farms/csp9-support-for-threatened-species) supplement with this action to cover additional costs. These are costs you may incur when establishing or managing areas of basic overwinter stubble for priority species.