Today (25th March) the government has announced an intention to cap six ‘non-crop’ land use options at 25% of an applicant’s land area.
This is in response to such options being used on large areas (or even whole farms) and thereby compromising food production security, which is also a stated government objective.
The six options are:
Flower-rich grass margins
Pollen and nectar flower mix
Winter bird food on arable and horticultural land
Grassy field corners and blocks
Improved grassland field corners or blocks out of management
Winter bird food on improved grassland.
Defra have given a timetable for the introduction of this and applications submitted on or after 26th March will have the caps announced on 25th March applied to them.
Full details at