CSP20: Edible dormouse 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

£40 per hectare (ha) per year

Action’s aim

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

The purpose is to reduce the effect of edible dormice on, for example, tree bark damage, fruit crops, and hole-nesting birds. This supports habitat and species recovery.

Where you can do this action

You can do this action on eligible land where invasive edible dormouse are present.

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 or Forestry Commission woodland officer 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

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

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 or Forestry Commission woodland officer 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:
- set up or identify monitoring sites and carry out baseline monitoring as outlined in your species management plan in year 1
- carry out agreed levels of culling set out in your species management plan
- carry out habitat impact assessments in years 1, 5 and 10 of your agreement
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:
- habitat impact assessment reports
- any bank statements, receipted invoices, consents or permissions connected with the work
- evidence of culling activity and cull numbers and supported by photographs when requested
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/edible-dormouse-species-management-plan-pa7-template) agreed with the Forestry Commission and Natural England (if your application includes non-woodland habitats)
- consent from Natural England (https://www.gov.uk/guidance/protected-areas-sites-of-special-scientific-interest#get-consent-to-carry-out-operations-on-your-land) for any activity on land designated as a site of special scientific interest (SSSI)
- Scheduled Monument Consent (https://historicengland.org.uk/advice/planning/consents/smc/) from Historic England for any work on scheduled monuments
- a wildlife licence – Edible dormice: licence to trap them (CL02) (https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/edible-dormice-licence-to-trap-them/edible-dormice-licence-to-trap-them-cl02)
You may also need to get other wildlife licences (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 edible dormice

You’ll mostly find edible dormice (Glis glis) around the Chilterns. Occasionally they have been reported in other locations across the country.

They are an invasive non-native species (INNS) found in woodland or orchard settings. They damage tree bark and fruit crops and predate hole-nesting birds.

Use the non-native species secretariat (NNSS) ID sheets (http://nonnativespecies.org/non-native-species/id-sheets) to identify edible dormice. Hazel dormice are a protected species, so make sure you identify the correct species. If you are not sure, ask your Natural England adviser or Forestry Commission woodland officer.

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

Manage by trapping

You can trap edible dormice using wildlife licence CL02 (https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/edible-dormice-licence-to-trap-them). You can:
- trap from May to August using appropriate traps
- locate traps in suitable habitat and minimise the risk of capturing non-target species
- bait the traps for 5 days before they are set – if bait is taken in this period, you can set the trap (if you use whole maize as bait, a mouse will chew the whole kernel, whereas a squirrel will only eat the germ and discard the kernel)
- move the trap to a more suitable location if bait is not taken after 5 days
- check the traps each day and release any non-target species as soon as possible – visit more often and consider removing traps in severe weather conditions
- maintain the health and welfare of any trapped animal
Dispatch and disposal of trapped edible dormice

It is recommended that cranial concussion is used to dispatch any edible dormice caught. An approved spring trap (http://www.legislation.gov.uk/uksi/2012/13/schedule/made) attached to the cage trap may also be used.

If you capture edible dormice in a nest box during hibernation, you can dispatch them in the same way.

Dispose of carcasses responsibly for example, by incineration or burial. If you’re on a site of special scientific interest, you’ll need permission from Natural England before you can dispose of carcasses.

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.