CSP21: American mink control and management
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

10 years

How much you’ll be paid

£99 per 100 metres (m) per year for the management of the waterbody where non-native American mink are present

Action’s aim

This action’s aim is to control the population of invasive non-native American mink.

The purpose is to help increase the population of native threatened species, such as water voles and breeding waders.

Where you can do this action

You can only do this action alongside waterbodies where invasive non-native American mink are present. Waterbodies include rivers, canals, ponds, lakes, drainage channels, ditches and wetlands with open areas of water.

You can only do this action if you have a species management plan agreed with Natural England or Forestry Commission.

You should do this action on the same land as a habitat creation or management action. You must get approval from your Natural England adviser to do this action if you’re not doing another habitat creation or management action on site.

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

Not applicable as this is a linear 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 action, you must carry out agreed levels of culling activity as set out in your species management plan.

Your Natural England adviser will monitor the effectiveness of control methods on the invasive non-native American mink population and if it’s successful, they may vary the duration of the action.

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:
- evidence of culling activity and cull numbers using the cull effort form (https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/american-mink-species-management-plan-pa7-template), supported by photographs when requested
- any bank statements, receipted invoices, consents, or permissions connected with the work
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:
- a species management plan (https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/american-mink-species-management-plan-pa7-template) agreed with the Forestry Commission and Natural England (if your application includes woodland habitats)
- 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)
- Scheduled Monument Consent (https://historicengland.org.uk/advice/planning/consents/smc/) from Historic England for any work on scheduled monuments
- to obtain the necessary consents from the Environment Agency, Lead Local Flood Authority (LLFA) or Internal Drainage Board, before deploying mink rafts
You may need to:
- get advice from your Natural England adviser or Forestry Commission woodland officer if you have other archaeological or historic 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 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

If you need to complete an implementation plan, species management plan or a feasibility study before you apply, you can apply for funding through 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.

About American mink

You’ll typically find American mink in wetlands, along rivers and in coastal areas.

They are a non-native species that predate small mammals, such as water voles, native fish and wild birds.

Use the non-native species secretariat (NNSS) ID sheets (http://nonnativespecies.org/non-native-species/id-sheets) to identify American mink. Otters are a protected species, so make sure you identify the correct species. American mink are much smaller than otters. If you are not sure, ask an appropriate adviser before applying.

Your species management plan will give details of the management actions you’ve agreed with your Natural England adviser.

Manage by trapping

You can trap American mink using an appropriate cage trap. Set traps at appropriate locations, such as:
- the meeting point of watercourses
- inlets or outlets for ponds and lakes
- where drains, hedges or fence lines meet watercourse.
You can:
- use traps with a small opening to minimise capturing non-target species – fit a water vole excluder and an otter guard to prevent capturing otters and water voles
- check traps at intervals agreed in your species management plan – release any non-target species as soon as possible – make additional inspections after flooding
Trap throughout the year, beginning in late summer to early autumn to reduce the population as much as possible ahead of the summer breeding period when dependent kits may be present.

For effective trapping:
- cover as wide an area as possible
- have continuous trapping, join up with neighbours or join an eradication scheme
Smart traps will alert you once a trap has been triggered so you can check the trap without delay.

Read about the Waterlife Recovery Trust’s (https://www.waterliferecoverytrust.org.uk/) American mink eradication programme for more information on trapping mink.

Read the BASC’s code of practice for trapping mammal pest (https://basc.org.uk/codes-of-practice/) for more information on appropriate mammal trapping.

It is illegal to release caught mink or other non-native species back into the wild.

Dispatch and disposal of American mink

To dispatch (cull) any captured American mink, use an air gun. If it’s not feasible to use an air gun, you may use an approved spring trap (http://www.legislation.gov.uk/uksi/2012/13/schedule/made) attached to the cage trap. You need to complete appropriate training before controlling American mink.

You will need to dispose of carcasses responsibly for example, by incineration or burial. You will need permission to do this in some locations, such as sites of special scientific interest (SSSIs).

Inspection and maintenance

Make sure traps are functioning correctly, check them:
- on every visit
- after flooding events
- at regular intervals if no activations are reported
Check that:
- tethers are not damaged
- stakes and knots are secure
- no debris has entered the trap
- the trap monitoring unit and the trap door are undamaged
You can log each inspection in your species management plan – share any trapping information if the trapping is part of a wider project. Results and observations may help to identify trends and patterns in mink behaviour.

Have regard to legislation and good practice relevant to the actions you carry out, such as the Animal Welfare Act 2006. It is an offence to cause any unnecessary suffering to an animal under the control of man (section 4 of the 2006 Act). This applies to the humane dispatch of captured animals and the treatment of animals held in traps and non-target animals.