CGS16: Rush control supplement
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

£95 per hectare (ha) per year – you must only include the area within the land parcel entered into your selected base action which has dense and continuous rush cover at the start of this supplemental action’s duration

The area of rush cover will be reduced by doing this supplemental action. Your payment will still be based on the area that had dense and continuous rush cover at the start of this supplemental action’s duration.

Action’s aim

The aim of this supplemental action is to reduce the cover of rush on land where there’s a heavy infestation.

The purpose of this is to:
- help prevent the loss of species-rich wet grasslands
- provide suitable habitats for wildfowl and wading birds
Where you can do this action

You can only do this supplemental action on eligible land with any of the following Countryside Stewardship Higher Tier base actions:
- CGS26: Manage grassland with very low inputs
- CGS22: Manage priority habitat species-rich grassland
- CGS20: Manage wet grassland for breeding waders
- CGS19: Manage wet grassland for wintering waders and wildfowl
- CGS21: Manage grassland for target habitats, species or features
- CUP2: Manage rough grazing for birds
- CWD22: Manage wood pasture
- CWD21: Restore wood pasture and parkland
- CWD20: Create wood pasture
You can only do this supplemental action on land where there’s continuous cover of rush over more than half of the land parcel entered into the base action at the time of your application.

Your Natural England adviser will agree with you what other supplemental actions may be needed to meet the intended environmental outcomes. This could include:
- CSP1: Difficult site supplement
- CSP16: Keep native breeds on grazed habitats supplement (50-80%)
- CSP17: Keep native breeds on grazed habitats supplement (more than 80%)
- CSP18: Keep native breeds on extensively managed habitats supplement (50-80%)
- CSP19: Keep native breeds on extensively managed habitats supplement (more than 80%)
- CSP2: Rewetting supplement
- CSP5: Shepherding supplement (non-moorland)
- CSP6: Cattle grazing supplement (non-moorland)
- CSP7: Introduction of cattle grazing on the Isles of Scilly supplement
- CSP9: Support for threatened species
- CSW26: Enhanced floodplain storage supplement
You cannot use this supplement on land where rushes are controlled by grazing only.

Eligible land

Same as base action

Available area you can enter into this action

Same or less than the base action.

Rotational or static action

This action is static. This means you must do it on the same location each year of the action’s duration.

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 supplemental action, you must:
- reduce the cover of dense rush growth to less than 30% or to the levels stated in the base action and agreed with your Natural England adviser
- manage dense rush by cutting and grazing so that it’s predominantly short by autumn (as agreed with a Natural England adviser)
- keep bare ground to a minimum, to reduce the risk of new rushes becoming established
The advice you’re given from Natural England is specific to your land which means (where relevant) you may also need to spot treat or weed wipe areas of dense rush.

You must not cut or weed-wipe rushes if ground nesting birds are present (typically between March and July).

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:
- receipted invoices
- consents or permissions connected with the work
- field operations at the parcel level
- records of grazing activity
- photographs of the management undertaken
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:
- obtain the necessary consents from the Environment Agency before starting any work such as herbicide use near water courses
- get a wildlife licence (https://www.gov.uk/guidance/wildlife-licences) from Natural England if your activities affect a protected species or their habitat
- get advice from your Natural England adviser if you have other archaeological or historic features on your agreement land
All archaeological and historic 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

You can 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.

Areas where this supplement is not suitable

Avoid controlling rush where there is standing or flowing water on or close to the surface for most of the year.

Avoid cutting or treating areas where rush is growing in association with sphagnum mosses.

These areas tend to support habitats and species which would be harmed by machinery or herbicides.

Identifying rush species

You need to identify the types of rush on your land to check if you can use this supplement. For example, if your land has jointed rushes which can usually be controlled by grazing, you may not need to use this supplement.

To identify rushes, pinch a piece of rush firmly between your fingers and pull it through. Make sure you do this with the leaf, not the flower stem. The leaf and flower stem are both long, narrow and cylindrical, but the leaf has no flower head towards the end:
- jointed rushes, like blunt-flowered and sharp-flowered rush, will feel bumpy due to the air pockets inside – if you strip a piece of jointed rush open lengthways, you will see cross-walls inside
- soft and hard rush don’t feel bumpy, as they don’t have cross-walls – soft rush has solid, white pith inside, hard rush has no pith, or sparse or gappy pith
Control rushes by cutting and aftermath grazing

Manage rushes following methods set out in your agreement. These may include:
- cutting areas of dense rush growth at least once every year so rushes are less than 20 centimetres (cm) high by the end of September
- trying to take the first cut before the rushes set seed, as long as there are no ground nesting birds present
- if there is regrowth during autumn, cutting a second time before the end of the growing season if the field is not too wet
- using livestock to graze regrowth and keep it at less than 20cm – livestock prefer younger regrowth
- removing cuttings to prevent low growing plants being smothered where possible
- grazing with cattle, as sheep normally avoid grazing rush
- checking for breeding birds before operating machinery or carrying out other activities which may disturb breeding birds or damage their nests
The breeding season tends to run from mid-March until mid-July, but it can start earlier and finish later, depending on the species and the weather.

Control rushes using herbicides

Where cutting and grazing does not control problem rushes, your agreement may allow you to use spot spraying and weed wiping.

Use herbicides where:
- rush growth is dense or covers large areas of the field
- the aim is to provide good conditions for wading birds
Do not use herbicide on species-rich grassland unless you can do it without affecting non-target plants.

Make sure you use spot spraying and weed wiping equipment correctly, and graze down the wildflowers and grasses so that the rushes can be treated without touching the non-target plants.

Weed wiping rush is most effective when you:
- weed wipe in more than one direction to ensure good herbicide contact with the rush tussocks
- weed wipe young rush growth (such as regrowth after cutting) as long as the rush is rigid enough to not be flattened by the wiper
Seek an agronomist’s advice when using herbicides and always follow the label recommendation.

Prevent rush problems from reoccurring

Manage livestock to prevent overgrazing, poaching, and undergrazing.

Seek advice if there are underlying problems with soil conditions and waterlogging. Drainage can reduce rush problems but can also damage grassland habitats and may not be permitted in the base actions for the supplement.

Responding to climate change

Read Natural England’s publication: ‘Adaptation for habitats in Environmental Land Management Schemes’ (https://publications.naturalengland.org.uk/file/5673659512127488) to help you consider your general response to climate change. You must continue to follow the mandatory activities for this CSHT action.