Table 1.

Summary of the basic (mid‐tier) Wild Pollinator and Farmland Wildlife Package

Resources	Select one or more of the following Countryside Stewardship options	Minimum per 100 ha of farmed land	Maximum per 100 ha of farmed land
Nectar and pollen sources for insect pollinators and insect‐rich foraging for birds (OBLIGATORY)	Arable or mixed farms	1 ha in total	3 ha in total
	AB1 Nectar flower mix
	AB8 Flower‐rich margins and plots
	AB15 Two‐year sown legume fallow
	AB16 Autumn sown Bumblebird mix
	AB11 Cultivated areas for arable plants (no more than 25% of the resource area)
	Pastoral or mixed farms	2 ha	4 ha
	GS4 Legume and herb‐rich swards (or OP4 Multi‐species ley)
	GS2 Permanent grassland with very low inputs
	Mixed farms only: GS17 Lenient grazing supplement
Winter food for seed‐eating birds (OBLIGATORY for arable and mixed farms, OPTIONAL for pastoral farms)	AB9 Winter Bird Food (or OP2 Wild bird seed mixture)	2 ha	3 ha
	Can also select up to 7.5 ha per 100 ha of AB6 Enhanced Overwinter Stubble or up to 15 ha per 100 ha of AB2 Basic Overwinter Stubble (or OP1 Overwintered stubble)
	Pastoral or mixed farms
	GS3 Ryegrass seed‐set as winter/spring food for birds
Hedgerows (OPTIONAL for arable and mixed farms, OBLIGATORY for pastoral farms)	BE3 Management of hedgerows	500 m	2000 m
Nesting habitat for insect pollinators and birds (OBLIGATORY for pastoral farms)	GS1 Take field corners out of management	0.5 ha	2 ha
In‐field breeding habitats for skylarks (OPTIONAL for arable farms)	AB4 Skylark plots	2 per ha of winter wheat	2 per ha of winter wheat
Variable grassland sward structure to provide insect‐rich foraging for birds (OPTIONAL for pastoral farms)	GS17 Lenient grazing supplement	1 ha	4 ha
Ponds and ditches (OPTIONAL)	WT1 Buffering in‐field ponds and ditches in improved grassland	As required	As required
	WT2 Buffering in‐field ponds and ditches on arable land

This table shows the basic features of a package or bundle of agri‐environment measures that will be incentivised if adopted together under the new Countryside Stewardship scheme in England. The package is slightly different for arable, mixed, and pastoral farms as indicated. Details of scoring and how funding allocations will be decided were not apparent at the time of writing. A higher tier package also exists, with higher provision of pollinator resources, a specific requirement to provide floral resources on 0.5 ha in spring and autumn, and further optional additions including traditional orchard management and nest boxes for bees.

Source: Natural England.