Poaching, Overgrazing, Undergrazing and Feeding Practices
11.1 The standard provides protection to rough grazings, unimproved grassland, reverted improved grassland, machair and dune grassland, wetlands and native, amenity or semi-natural woodlands. The participant should ensure that livestock are managed to avoid either overgrazing or undergrazing.
11.2 Feeding practices can result in the introduction of undesirable seeds through the feeding of hay, and the concentration of stock on feeding sites may result in damage. However, it should be borne in mind that it is often preferable to sacrifice a small area of ground for feeding rather than to spread the risk of invasive grasses and other species and poaching by rotating feeding sites.
11.2.1 When feed blocks are used it will often be preferable to rotate feeding sites but if hay is fed sacrificial areas may be more desirable due to the risk of site rotation spreading grass seeds over a larger area.
11.2.2 Local SNH staff may be consulted to determine the most suitable policy.
11.3 Overgrazing and damage by poaching and rutting are also referred to in other SEERAD schemes for example Less Favoured Areas Support Scheme and ESA Schemes. It is essential that the same practical criteria are used in determining whether or not overgrazing or excessive poaching is taking place when dealing with all such schemes.
11.4 In some exceptional circumstances scarification (light poaching breaking up dense vegetation mat to create seed bed) may be recommended as a desirable management operation to aid seed germination in areas of species rich grassland or scrub regeneration. Where this is desirable, the requirement would have to be clearly shown as an additional requirement on the Environmental Audit.
11.5 Livestock should be distributed across the farm in such a way that both overgrazing and under-utilisation are avoided. Under-utilisation is defined as "land where there is evidence of the annual growth not being fully utilised or scrub or coarse vegetation is becoming evident and such changes are detrimental to the environmental interest of the site".
11.6 Game bird feeders may be sited on areas of conservation interest, whether or not those areas are subject to positive mamagement under the scheme, but the scheme participant will be responsible for ensuring no resulting habitat damage occurs.
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