CUP12: Shepherding livestock on moorland (remove stock for a minimum of 4 months)
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

£43 per hectare (ha) per year

Action’s aim

This action’s aim is that livestock grazing on moorland is managed to avoid affecting features that are sensitive to damage from grazing, wherever possible.

The purpose is to:
- protect and improve habitats for birds, mammals and insects
- reduce bare ground and soil erosion
- improve water quality
- protect historic and archaeological features
Sensitive features are areas on the moorland that can easily be damaged by grazing or poaching caused by livestock. They include:
- bare ground, peat soils, gullies and steep slopes
- vegetation on wet peaty areas – such as blanket bog, wet heath, upland flushes, fens and swamps
- woody vegetation – such as fragmented heath, mountain heath and willow scrub, dry heath, long degenerate heather, deciduous woodland, and scrub
- grassy vegetation – such as upland calcareous grassland, limestone pavement, purple moor-grass, rush pasture and Calaminarian grassland
- historic or archaeological features, including scheduled monuments – these are identified on your Historic Environment Farm Environment Record (HEFER)
Where you can do this action

You can only use this action in combination with Countryside Stewardship Higher Tier action CUP3: General moorland management (https://www.gov.uk/find-funding-for-land-or-farms/cup3-general-moorland-management).

You can do this action on eligible land that:
- is above the moorland line
- is above the stockproof boundary of enclosed semi-natural vegetation and may include allotments, intakes or newtakes
- contains one or more moorland priority habitats or species, unless you’re also applying for CUP7: Manage non-peat moorland soils for flood and drought resilience supplement (https://www.gov.uk/find-funding-for-land-or-farms/cup7-manage-non-peat-moorland-soils-for-flood-and-drought-resilience-supplement), where you do not need one or more priority habitats or species
If a land parcel is located above and below the moorland line, you can enter it into this action if:
- most of the area is above the moorland line
- it’s managed as one grazing unit with adjacent land parcels located above the moorland line
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 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 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 take reasonable steps to minimise livestock getting access to sensitive features when they are on moorland by:
- shepherding or herding them away with specific measures (such as using dogs or mineral licks) in specific areas and in specific months
- using temporary fencing if that’s possible
You must also either:
- remove all livestock (except resident ponies) from land entered into this action for at least 4 consecutive calendar months
- follow a stocking calendar which may include a map of livestock exclusion areas (as agreed with your Natural England adviser)
‘Resident ponies’ means ponies which are traditionally kept on the moorland, such as Dartmoor or Exmoor ponies.

You must not supplementary feed livestock on land entered this action, unless this has been agreed with your Natural England adviser, to support the purpose of this action.

The feeding of hay or haylage is permitted in cases of extreme weather for the purpose of animal welfare only.

Extreme weather is defined as 2 or more consecutive days of deep snow or hard frost.

Read more about supplementary feeding in extreme weather in the advice section of this 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.

If asked, you must provide a record of shepherding and stocking activity, and include:
- land parcel reference numbers
- hectarage
- dates you plan to graze during each calendar month
- monthly numbers of livestock which will graze the land parcel, including their type and age bracket
- a map of the sensitive features
- photographs of the management undertaken
For each supplementary feed (due to extreme weather or as agreed), you must provide:
- a record of the time and date
- the location using maps and 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 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 Forestry Commission woodland officer or Natural England adviser if you have other historic or archaeological features on your agreement land
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 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.

Planning your shepherding or herding activities

Try to minimise your livestock’s access to ‘sensitive features’ when they’re on the moorland. Livestock includes sheep, cattle and ponies.

You can shepherd or herd your livestock to:
- distribute them more widely across the moorland area
- encourage them to access areas which needs grazing
- direct them away from sensitive features that can be easily damaged by grazing or poaching
The frequency and timing of shepherding or herding will depend on the:
- species and behaviour of your livestock
- success of your shepherding or herding activities
- type of sensitive features on your moorland
Carrying out shepherding or herding activities

When you carry out these activities, try to avoid causing damage to your moorland. For example if you use a vehicle, try to avoid:
- damaging water flow, which is an important component of blanket bog and wet heath hydrology
- crossing areas that are particularly wet and boggy, and other areas containing sensitive features
- causing rutting, soil compaction or damage to surface vegetation
During the bird breeding season (usually March to early July), minimise the number of vehicles you use off established routes and tracks. This will help avoid bird disturbance and damage to nest sites.

Avoiding damage to historic and archaeological features

Shepherd livestock so that there is a cover of dwarf shrubs, heather and other shallow rooted vegetation. This will help prevent the following occurring on historic and archaeological features:
- erosion
- poaching
- burrowing
- dumping
- scrub
- gorse
- bracken growth
- vehicle erosion or damage
Planning livestock removal from your moorland

Some sensitive features moorland features can benefit from removing stock at certain times of the year.

During winter, features that may benefit include:
- scrub and woody vegetation – you can reduce trampling damage and allow the previous season’s growth to remain because dwarf shrubs are more vulnerable to damage from grazing when there’s little grass available
- wet and peaty soils – removing stock can reduce poaching and compaction damage to the soil surface
- historic or archaeological features – removing stock can reduce poaching and compaction damage to the soil surface
During spring or summer, features that may benefit from removing stock include:
- upland calcareous grassland – grazing in winter rather than in summer reduces the dominance of vigorous grasses and allows plants to flower and set seed in the summer
- ground nesting birds – removing stock allows birds to fledge and reduces disturbance
This action does not require you to remove resident ponies, so they can overwinter on the moorland. This can help to:
- allow young stock to learn from more mature animals
- maintain the herd structure
- allow the ponies to exhibit their natural behaviours
Neighbouring livestock

The area of moorland you enter into this action may be unfenced and has adjacent land grazed by other farmers or land managers. If both apply you may need to:
- consider the potential impact of neighbouring livestock straying on your ability to meet this action’s requirements (particularly the livestock removal period)
- talk to neighbouring farmers or land managers about removing stray livestock from your area of moorland
Supplementary feeding in extreme weather

During periods of extreme weather, manage supplementary feeding to avoid damaging habitats such as blanket bog, heather, bilberry and other heath, species-rich grassland and mires. Move feeding sites regularly to minimise damage to vegetation and soils.

Avoid transferring undesirable species in the hay or haylage such as docks or rosebay willowherb.

Do not:
- feed on or next to archaeological features, steep slopes, footpaths or watercourses
- use troughs or feeders
If you need to supplementary feed multiple times in the winter or every year, consider reducing or removing your stock during this period.

Follow the farming rules for water (https://www.gov.uk/guidance/rules-for-farmers-and-land-managers-to-prevent-water-pollution) – you’ll need to take steps to stop pollution from grazing livestock.