HRW1 and HRW2 - SFI Application Hedges

[Zippy768]

Hi Zippy. Where have you got the info re roadsides in HRW2 as long as they’re not cut? I fear I’ve missed it in the book

But I believe you can enter that same road side hedge into the hrw1 plan thingy

 

[Zippy768]

Now I'm thinking, if - as I do every year - conduct a report, assess and record the conditions of road side hedges, and indeed concur that they need cutting for safety reasons. If my "Hedge Management Report", for which I receive £6/100m, says said hedge needs to be cut, then is that not evidence that I "manage" the road side hedge. Therefore I can claim the HRW2 £13?

They might ask for evidence that I manage the hedge, my Management report will say I do.

 

[Hampton]

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That appears to read that if the hedge has a good sized verge then enter it and cut biannually.
If it’s right against the road don’t enter it

 

[4course]

That appears to read that if the hedge has a good sized verge then enter it and cut biannually.
If it’s right against the road don’t enter it

round here we get a visit from the council asking/telling us to cut the roadside hedges so I reckon they are in my juristriction and ive got bills going back years

 

[HatsOff]

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Check v4 of the handbook as I think there were some additional information on hedgerows

 

[Hindsight]

Asked RPA last November for guidance. Here is the reply: This tends to suggest that cannot claim both sides under HRW2 even if you think you have management control, which would link with the data entry information contained in the Guidance 'How to Apply' page 21. But does go against possible interpretation on page 109 of version 1 - 4 of the Guidance handbook. In practice know one is going to know unless and until there is a physical inspection by an RPA officer who decided to measure hedges and compare to what is entered in the Agreement.


Thank you for your email of 11th October 2023 about HR2W (Manage hedgerows).

As stated in the SFI 2023 handbook (please see page 109), to enter both sides of a hedgerow into your SFI agreement, you must have management control of both sides of the hedgerow and the land adjacent to each side of the hedgerow for the 3-year duration of your SFI agreement.
If you only have management control of one side of a hedgerow and adjacent land you must only enter one side into your SFI agreement. This may be the case if:

• a hedgerow is next to a road or track and requires annual or more frequent trimming for public safety reasons.

Therefore, under HRW2 action you would be able to enter one side of the hedgerow into your SFI agreement, but you can enter it into HRW3 (which is for both sides of a hedgerow) if you can meet the requirements in that action (please see pages 39 and 40 of the SFI 2023 handbook).

 

[Mad Farmer]

Am I right in thinking that for HRW3 you have to have control of both sides of the hedge, so if youv'e used HRW3 on a field then on the adjoining field you can't use HRW3 on that stretch of hedge that joins the 2 fields. I am finding it very difficult to remember which field has used both sides.

 

[Try to succeed]

I had put roadside hedges with a ditch on the roadside in my application. I manage the ditch and bank so I thought it justified it. Can’t change it now anyhow so will see what comes of any inspection unless it is made clearer prior to that, and then I can own up to it

 

[Hindsight]

I had put roadside hedges with a ditch on the roadside in my application. I manage the ditch and bank so I thought it justified it. Can’t change it now anyhow so will see what comes of any inspection unless it is made clearer prior to that, and then I can own up to it

I have done the same. Yet two colleagues have done differently. In practice I doubt it will matter. Will only become apparent if there is a physical inspection at which the inspector calculates the length of hedge and finds the internal dimensions are less than the claim and ask why - when you and he/she will find it is the 'other side of a hedge'. The wording on page 109 conflicts / muddies with the wording on page 21 of the 'how to apply'. I am sure in that case it would be apology and possibly repayment of monies.

 

[4course]

just a thought . when a car goes through the roadside hedge who re plants it . Its certainly not the council so if you plant re plant hedge I reckon you have management control and for tenants maintaining boundary hedges is/can be in your agreement esp if its an older one.

 

[Zippy768]

just a thought . when a car goes through the roadside hedge who re plants it . Its certainly not the council so if you plant re plant hedge I reckon you have management control and for tenants maintaining boundary hedges is/can be in your agreement esp if its an older one.

As I said earlier in the thread. If I monitor, assess and write a report (HRW1) on roadside hedge, and conclude that - for safety reasons - it needs to be cut at least annually and conduct cutting myself. Surely that is evidence enough that I manage that hedge and can claim. After all they will ask for evidence that i manage the hedge

 

[Hindsight]

As I said earlier in the thread. If I monitor, assess and write a report (HRW1) on roadside hedge, and conclude that - for safety reasons - it needs to be cut at least annually and conduct cutting myself. Surely that is evidence enough that I manage that hedge and can claim. After all they will ask for evidence that i manage the hedge

Meant to copy page 109 into the discussion earlier in the week. This in conjunction with the explanation in the Action description and the wording in the Guidance to complete the form does 'strongly' suggest that for HRW1 and HRW2 only one side of a hedge - the side facing into the parcel can be claimed. There is no provision for 'the other side' of the hedge as there was in EFA (had a different code if you recall). I do concur with you that in may case 'the other side' of a hedge is actually in the control of the claimant, for example a roadside / trackside hedge, but there will not be an adjacent parcel, and hence the reason to add it to the 'other parcel'. I have now completed applications both ways! But unless there is an inspection RPA will not know. And I presume if found out and deemed a false claim it will be case of repaying monies.

Page 109

Management control of hedgerows

To enter both sides of a hedgerow into your SFI agreement, you must have management control of both sides of the hedgerow and the land adjacent to each side of the hedgerow for the 3-year duration of your SFI agreement. If you only have management control of one side of a hedgerow and adjacent land you must only enter one side into your SFI agreement.

This may be the case if:
• a hedgerow is next to a road or track and requires annual or more frequent trimming for public safety reasons – but you can enter it into HRW3 (which is for both sides of a hedgerow) if you can meet the requirements in that action
• one side of a hedgerow and the adjacent land is owned or managed by a neighbour
• a hedgerow is next to a woodland edge

 

[Socksitis]

I have maxed out hedges on my application and they barely get us to 20% of our 2020 BPS and that is before accounting for inflation.

Same here, time I take out roadside and boundaries, barely worth the effort of creating the spreadsheet, but every penny will count here

 

[yellow belly]

i have worked on the basis that the council cut 1.5 m of verge i cut the remaining 3 to 5 and have to maintain the ditch so have management controll of the wider part of the verge

if rpa make a point of it i will put in a rle 1 for the grass i manage on the verge
we used to make hay on it (and grazed it in 1976 )untill there was too much litter in it

when it comes to it i will have evidence that i maintain the hedge
pictures and records of work

this work is a public good

 

[4course]

Here our local council come on to us telling/asking us to cut the roadside /bridleway/footpath hedges if they havnt been cut . So as far as im concerned we are deemed responsible so im going to claim, leave them ,and then wait for the letter telling me to cut them which will surely come as the local ramblers dont like getting their anoraks shredded by the thorns .

 

[BigBarl]

The amount of money I worked out our hedges to be across all 3 options isn’t worth the hassle of being limited to cut in Jan/Feb. And I would say we’re short on hedges either at 21km of them! I’d rather sacrifice the few £££ and crack on with the hedges in the dry Sept / Oct.

 

[yellow belly]

The amount of money I worked out our hedges to be across all 3 options isn’t worth the hassle of being limited to cut in Jan/Feb. And I would say we’re short on hedges either at 21km of them! I’d rather sacrifice the few £££ and crack on with the hedges in the dry Sept / Oct.

You can do incremental cutting every year ad 50 mm in height /width

 

[XFlash11]

If your claim HRW3 for both sides the hedge how do you manage for the next field that runs along side? I take it you can’t claim for the next field

 

[e3120]

If your claim HRW3 for both sides the hedge how do you manage for the next field that runs along side? I take it you can’t claim for the next field

That's how I read it. Got a question in to them at the moment about the average of 1 tree/100m. If it's at parcel level, rather than agreement level, there might need to be some messy splitting of hedges to give each field enough trees. I hope I'm worrying unduly.

 

[Zippy768]

If your claim HRW3 for both sides the hedge how do you manage for the next field that runs along side? I take it you can’t claim for the next field

You cannot claim for both sides. You need management control of both sides to claim once for that hedge.
Ipso facto for adjoining parcels you only add that hedge in that option under one of those parcels