Rural Payments and Services

For recent changes to this guidance, please see the bottom of the page.

The aim of this option is to encourage small units to introduce or continue to keep cattle of traditional or native breeds which are better adapted to graze land with coarser vegetation and wetter conditions.

Cattle grazing helps to support diverse habitats in which flowering plants and pollinating insects can flourish and which, in turn, support farmland birds and other wildlife.

Your eligibility for this option is based on the area of land in your IACS business permanent land holding that is not rough grazing. This area must be less than 30 hectares.

This area would not take into account areas of land covering rocks, scree, water, dense bracken etc. We will check this using the same approach we use to check land for the Basic Payment Scheme.

Assessing your land eligibility

If you are in the Crofting Counties, this limit includes the following:

• the area of your croft, and
• any in-bye apportionment, and
• any arable cropped land on the common grazing

The area does not include the remainder of the common grazing.

You can choose the introduction option if you do not keep (own or formally lease) cattle, or you are introducing at least two breeding females of a traditional or native breed including first crosses to your existing herd (if you have fewer than two breeding cows of Scottish traditional or native breeds in your existing herd). The cattle must be introduced by 1 June in the first year of your contract.

If you are choosing the retention option, you must currently keep at least two native breeding cows, including first crosses, within your IACS business.

Eligible breeds include:

• Aberdeen Angus
• Ayrshire
• Belted Galloway
• Galloway
• Riggit Galloway
• White Galloway
• Highland
• Luing
• Shetland
• Shorthorn
• Whitebred Shorthorn

This option is available throughout Scotland.

You must provide a map showing showing all land which could potentially be grazed by cattle.

• you must either introduce or continue to keep at least two breeding females of a traditional or native breed including first crosses, and maintain them within the IACS business for the lifetime of your contract
• if you are introducing cattle, females must be aged 14 months or over at the time of purchase
• if a cow dies within the period of the contract, you must have a replacement on your land within three months of the death

You can claim:

• introducing cattle: £162.63 per hectare per year
• retaining cattle: £107.38 per hectare per year

For the purposes of payment, it is assumed that each cow introduced or retained will benefit two hectares.

The inspectors will check:

• your IACS business permanent land holding comprises less than 30 hectares, including any in-bye apportionment and any arable cropped land on the common grazing but excluding the remainder of common grazing share(s) and any rough grazings
• British Cattle Movement Service records to ensure you have either introduced or continued to keep at least two breeding females of a traditional or native breed including first crosses, and maintained them within the IACS business for the lifetime of your contract and that introduced females were aged 14 months or over at the time of purchase
• that the animals are present on the holding

Supporting guidance is available for this option.

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