CSP17 : Keep native breeds on grazed habitats supplement (more than 80%)
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

£146 per hectare (ha) per year

Action’s aim

The aim of this supplemental action is that more than 80% of grazing livestock units (GLU) on sensitive grassland habitats are rare native breeds at risk livestock.

The purpose of this is to maintain or increase the number of rare native breeds at risk livestock.

Where you can do this action

You can only do this supplemental action on land that you’re grazing with livestock, with any of the following Countryside Stewardship Higher Tier (CSHT) base actions:
- CUP2: Manage rough grazing for birds
- CGS18: Manage species-rich floodplain meadows
- 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
- CHS7: Manage historic water meadows through traditional irrigation
- CBE4: Manage traditional orchards
- CBE5: Create traditional orchards
- CWD22: Manage wood pasture
- CWD21: Restore wood pasture and parkland
- CWD20: Create wood pasture
- CAGF4: Manage very low density in-field agroforestry on more sensitive land
- CAGF2: Manage low density in-field agroforestry on more sensitive land
- CAGF3: Manage medium density in-field agroforestry
- CAGF1: Manage high density in-field agroforestry
Your Natural England adviser will agree with you what other supplemental actions may be needed to meet the intended environmental outcomes. This could include:
- CGS16: Rush control supplement
- CGS23: Haymaking supplement
- CGS24: Haymaking supplement (late cut)
- CSP1: Difficult site supplement
- CSP11: Manage scrapes and gutters supplement
- CSP2: Rewetting supplement
- CSP3: Bracken control 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
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

Same as base action.

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:
- have more than 80% of the total GLU grazed by registered pedigree livestock on the land entered into the relevant base action
- have animals present and maintained on the holding to graze from the first grazing season and during subsequent grazing seasons graze grassland consistent with an agreed stocking calendar
- maintain a monthly record of stock grazing the land
You must use livestock that appear on the Native Breed at Risk (NBAR) list (https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/uk-native-animal-breeds-at-risk-list).

To convert livestock numbers into GLU, your Natural England adviser will decide on the appropriate value depending on the type and breed of livestock grazing the area. They may use the following values:
- cattle over 2 years old at the start of an agreement year – 1.0 GLU
- cattle over 6 months to 2 years old at the start of an agreement year – 0.6 GLU
- lowland ewe and lamb or ram – 0.12 GLU
- store lamb, hill ewe and lamb, or hogg or teg – 0.08 GLU
- goat – 0.12 GLU
- pony or donkey – 0.8 GLU
- horse – 1.0 GLU
- pig – 0.44
- poultry – 0.017
Lambs at foot do not have a separate GLU allocation, they are included in the figure for the ewe.

Native breeds will only be allowed where they’ll meet the aims of the base action and have been agreed by a Natural England adviser.

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
You must produce the following written records where applicable:
- a monthly record of grazing animals at the parcel level
- animal movement identification numbers for each eligible animal
- changes to the original documentation since the action’s start date, such as replacement animals
- the pedigree registration number or birth notification number for each eligible animal taken from the NBAR records, breed registration records and proof of animal provenance, parentage and availability for each animal
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 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.

How to calculate your native breed percentage

You can use the native breeds grazing calculator (https://assets.publishing.service.gov.uk/media/66a8bdc20808eaf43b50d973/Native-breeds-calculator_updated_30Dec2024.xlsx) to calculate the percentage of native breeds on your land. Your Natural England adviser will work with you to identify the appropriate CSHT supplement and native breed percentage for your site.

Eligible native breeds

If you’re sourcing native breed animals, try to choose animals which have been bred and reared on a similar habitat to where you’ll be grazing them.

If you have not used native rare breeds before you can get help from graziers or livestock conservation organisations like the Rare Breeds Survival Trust (https://www.rbst.org.uk/Pages/Category/getting-started).

You may find it helpful to read the Grazing Animals Project Breed Profiles Handbook (https://drive.google.com/file/d/13vQcYreLLqxXCJ5049K718lCdCJbJovz/view).

Using livestock to manage the habitat

What livestock you use will affect the habitat in different ways.

To achieve greater environmental benefit for each habitat, use:
- a livestock species with suitable behavioural traits
- a suitable number of livestock
You can choose to mix livestock to create a more varied habitat.

Choosing unsuitable livestock and herd size for the habitat could:
- damage it
- increase surface water run-off
- damage any historic or archaeological features present
Grazing traits of livestock

Ponies

Ponies will graze:
- long coarse grass, such as purple moor-grass
- bracken particularly in autumn
- gorse
- swards into a dense, well established grass cover (‘tight sward’) – at low stocking densities, ponies can create a good structural mosaic habitat
It is not appropriate to use ponies to graze wet grassland during the nesting season of breeding waders.

Cattle

Cattle will graze:
- longer, coarse grass of low forage quality, such as purple moor-grass particularly in spring and early summer
- wet grassland during spring, summer and autumn, particularly habitat that supports breeding waders
- less selectively than sheep and create a more varied sward
Remove cattle from a wet area over winter to reduce the risk of poaching.

Sheep

Sheep will graze vegetation into a tight sward, they:
- are selective feeders, often choosing young flowers and shoots
- prefer not to eat long coarse grasses, such as purple moor-grass, if alternative food is available
It is not appropriate to use sheep to graze wet grassland during the nesting season of breeding waders.

Browsing traits of livestock

Goats

Goats are agile and will climb to steeper habitats than sheep or cattle. They will also browse woody and thorny vegetation. They can be more selective about what they browse or graze than sheep.

Foraging traits of livestock

Pigs

Use pigs for foraging with great care. In most instances their behaviour will result in damage to habitats. You can remove them from the area over the winter months to reduce this risk.

You will need to discuss with your Natural England adviser, the:
- appropriate herd number to use to manage a habitat
- best time to graze them
Pigs can:
- clear dense ground vegetation such as bracken
- break up soil to create seed beds for natural regeneration
Poultry

When poultry forage they:
- break down cattle manure that can benefit soil health
- reduce the intensity of parasitic worm eggs (‘worm burden’) to preserve livestock health
You can use poultry as part of a multi-species grazing model with cattle and sheep. They can damage plants if left in one place for too long. To minimise damage, you will need to discuss with your Natural England adviser, the:
- appropriate flock number to use to manage a habitat
- best time to use them
Managing neighbouring livestock

If your agreement land is unfenced, neighbouring livestock could stray onto your land. This could affect your ability to achieve the aims of this supplement. You may need to either:
- fence your land
- speak to neighbouring land managers about removing their livestock