Ploughing permanent pasture

CornishRanger

Member
Livestock Farmer
Location
Cornwall
After some advice/guidance. Anyone on here applied to plough permanent pasture? We have taken on a tenancy where the grassland has all been down long enough to be classed as PP and needs ploughing really. I've found the relevant paperwork on the gov.uk site, just wondering if people had previous experience of the process?
 

2tractors

Member
Location
Cornwall
If its under 15 years in grass and has had regular "agricultural" practices, fert, dung, cutting, lime applied then you can plough. Over 15 years you need an Environmental Impact Assessment to determine if its now classified as species rich semi improved grassland which cannot be ploughed or cultivated.

Presumably when you took it over there was an assessment for in-goings which evidenced previous practices?
 

Hindsight

Member
Location
Lincolnshire
After some advice/guidance. Anyone on here applied to plough permanent pasture? We have taken on a tenancy where the grassland has all been down long enough to be classed as PP and needs ploughing really. I've found the relevant paperwork on the gov.uk site, just wondering if people had previous experience of the process?

As I recall from last time I did an EIA assessment (which was some five years ago) initially it is a self assessment. If you conclude the land does not fall under EIA then that is it. File the document. But if you conclude a EIA s required then have to approach Defra - office details provided.

In my case the clients pasture was some 50 years old. But had received fertiliser and odd application of herbicide. and plant species was usual fescue, bent, meadowgrass. No historical features - rig and furrow, for example. And so it then got limed and ploughed.
 

DrWazzock

Member
Arable Farmer
Location
Lincolnshire
As I recall from last time I did an EIA assessment (which was some five years ago) initially it is a self assessment. If you conclude the land does not fall under EIA then that is it. File the document. But if you conclude a EIA s required then have to approach Defra - office details provided.

In my case the clients pasture was some 50 years old. But had received fertiliser and odd application of herbicide. and plant species was usual fescue, bent, meadowgrass. No historical features - rig and furrow, for example. And so it then got limed and ploughed.
I wonder how many people conclude that an EIA is required?
Probably the same number of people that ring a licences waste disposal contractor if they have too much spray left in the tank after spraying a field.🤣🤣🤣
 

Wombat

Member
BASIS
Location
East yorks
If its under 15 years in grass and has had regular "agricultural" practices, fert, dung, cutting, lime applied then you can plough. Over 15 years you need an Environmental Impact Assessment to determine if its now classified as species rich semi improved grassland which cannot be ploughed or cultivated.

Presumably when you took it over there was an assessment for in-goings which evidenced previous practices?

I read this as long as its been "cultivated" either through mechanical or improvement with sprays or fert in the last 15yrs then it doesn't need it regardless of the age of the permenant pasture, and It only becomes mandarory if you do nothing to it for 15years?

 
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CornishRanger

Member
Livestock Farmer
Location
Cornwall
Thanks all. We don't have any historical evidence of management beyond word of mouth. I guess my best bet is to see if the previous tenant has any spray/fert records or record of previous cropping. Previous tenant ran down the farming operations so basically cut and sold hay before giving the tenancy up, but I doubt he wrote too much down!
 

Wombat

Member
BASIS
Location
East yorks
Thanks all. We don't have any historical evidence of management beyond word of mouth. I guess my best bet is to see if the previous tenant has any spray/fert records or record of previous cropping. Previous tenant ran down the farming operations so basically cut and sold hay before giving the tenancy up, but I doubt he wrote too much down!

I would say if you cannot prove that its had something done to it in 15yrs i would get one to be safe.
 
Basically, EIAs exist to 'protect' land that historically won't ever be brought under cultivation. I'm talking vulnerable habitats so probably stuff that was too steep/wet/full of trees for them to bother with even during the war.

Any piece of farm land that has been grazed or seen any kind of agricultural management probably won't contain a lot of rare species or the like.
 

CornishRanger

Member
Livestock Farmer
Location
Cornwall
Basically, EIAs exist to 'protect' land that historically won't ever be brought under cultivation. I'm talking vulnerable habitats so probably stuff that was too steep/wet/full of trees for them to bother with even during the war.

Any piece of farm land that has been grazed or seen any kind of agricultural management probably won't contain a lot of rare species or the like.
Yes, its nothing like that, just a tired old grass ley
 

Hindsight

Member
Location
Lincolnshire
Basically, EIAs exist to 'protect' land that historically won't ever be brought under cultivation. I'm talking vulnerable habitats so probably stuff that was too steep/wet/full of trees for them to bother with even during the war.

Any piece of farm land that has been grazed or seen any kind of agricultural management probably won't contain a lot of rare species or the like.

Not necessarily.
 

DRC

Member
I wonder how many people conclude that an EIA is required?
Probably the same number of people that ring a licences waste disposal contractor if they have too much spray left in the tank after spraying a field.🤣🤣🤣
Talking of licensed waste , I caught the contractors ( Kier ), that do the gully cleaning for Shropshire council, depositing their load down one of our lanes this week . Saw them twice back down the track. I’ve moved the gate back so I can get a tractor and trailer off the road before opening the gate . Talk about fly tipping .
 

SFI - What % were you taking out of production?

  • 0 %

    Votes: 81 42.2%
  • Up to 25%

    Votes: 68 35.4%
  • 25-50%

    Votes: 30 15.6%
  • 50-75%

    Votes: 3 1.6%
  • 75-100%

    Votes: 3 1.6%
  • 100% I’ve had enough of farming!

    Votes: 7 3.6%

Red Tractor drops launch of green farming scheme amid anger from farmers

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As reported in Independent


quote: “Red Tractor has confirmed it is dropping plans to launch its green farming assurance standard in April“

read the TFF thread here: https://thefarmingforum.co.uk/index.php?threads/gfc-was-to-go-ahead-now-not-going-ahead.405234/
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