The Environmentally Sensitive Areas (Cotswold Hills) Designation Order 1994

2.  As regards all improved permanent grassland which is the subject of an agreement—

(1) the farmer shall maintain the land and shall not plough, level or reseed;

(2) the farmer shall not chain harrow or roll except to the extent that he did so at the start of the agreement;

(3) the farmer shall graze with livestock other than pigs or poultry but not so as to cause poaching, overgrazing or undergrazing. He shall not graze horses except in conjunction with cattle or sheep or both;

(4) the farmer shall rotate areas used for supplementary feeding of livestock so as to avoid poaching;

(5) the farmer shall manage hay meadows as such for the duration of the agreement;

(6) the farmer shall exclude stock from hay meadows at least seven weeks before the first cut for hay and in any event before 20th May until the end of cutting in any year;

(7) the farmer shall cut hay meadows for hay each year, remove the cuttings and graze the aftermath. He shall not cut the grass before 8th July in any year;

(8) the farmer shall wilt and turn any grass cut for silage and graze the aftermath;

(9) the farmer shall not increase existing application rates of organic or inorganic fertiliser and in any event shall not apply more than 175kg of nitrogen per hectare per year;

(10) the farmer shall not apply any fungicides or insecticides;

(11) the farmer shall not apply any herbicides except to control bracken, stinging nettles, spear thistle, creeping or field thistle, curled dock, broadleaved dock or ragwort. Except for bracken control, herbicides used for these purposes shall be applied by wick applicator or by spot treatment;

(12) the farmer shall not install any new land drainage system or modify any existing land drainage system so as to bring about improved drainage.