CGS23: Haymaking 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

£157 per hectare (ha) per year

Action’s aim

The aim of this supplemental action is that you make field-dried hay to allow wildflowers and grasses to flower and set seed.

The purpose of this is to:

help to conserve plants in traditionally managed hay meadows

provide pollen and nectar for bees and other insects

improve water quality

maintain traditional landscape character

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 (CSHT) base actions:

CGS26: Manage grassland with very low inputs

CBE4: Manage traditional orchards

CBE5: Create traditional orchards

CGS22: Manage priority habitat species-rich grassland

CGS21: Manage grassland for target habitats, species or features

CWD22: Manage wood pasture

CWD21: Restore wood pasture and parkland

CWD20: Create wood pasture

CGS20: Manage wet grassland for breeding waders

CGS19: Manage wet grassland for wintering waders and wildfowl

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%)

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

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:

make field dried hay by turning and wilting

remove all cuttings

graze the aftermath or take a second cut if grazing is not possible

The advice you’re given from Natural England is specific to your land which means (where relevant) you may also need to:

leave an uncut margin around the edge of the field as a refuge for invertebrates and small mammals – you can rotate this uncut area

remove livestock for an agreed period of time before cutting

not cut or top before agreed dates for 1 year out of 5 years

You must not cut hay before the end of June, or at a later date agreed with your 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.

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 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.

When to use this supplement

You can use this supplement to make hay on any type of grassland, as long as haymaking will achieve the aims of the action and you are making field-dry hay. Haymaking is best suited to land receiving no, or low inputs of nutrients and species rich grassland.

Cutting hay

‘Shut up’ meadows by removing all livestock no later than mid-May, or the date set out in your agreement.

When you cut will be determined by your location and the type of grassland habitat and will be set out in your agreement. This will be after 30 June in the lowlands and after 12 July in severely disadvantaged areas but can be later if your grassland supports particular species.

When cutting hay:

turn or ‘ted’ the hay at least once after cutting

leave the hay to dry for at least 48 hours before baling – this allows wildflower seeds to drop

bales can be wrapped or unwrapped

Grazing hay meadows

You can use aftermath grazing to add variety to the sward and improve hay meadow biodiversity.

Graze from late summer until autumn – this will normally start around 6 weeks after cutting. Exact timings will depend on the growing season and ground conditions at different sites.

You should remove livestock before the average sward height falls below 5cm or when the ground is too wet. This will help prevent damage from poaching.

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.