NPI Wild Bird Cover Strips

Workers:

Three or More

Equipment Needed:

Handtools & Machinery

Recommended Season:

March - June

Payment Rate:

€5.41/ m

Note: The most up to date specifications are available on the dedicated ACRES / ACRES CP website under Non Productive Investments – Click Link Here

About This Action:

NPI Wild Bird Cover Strips

Provide mixed crops as habitat and food source for insects, birds and small mammals. Good hunting opportunities for Barn Owls and Hen Harriers.

Why?

Provides food sources for small birds and rodents.
Provides hunting opportunities for Barn Owl, Hen Harrier and Kestrel.
Good for pollinators in the summer.

1. Plant a 9m wide strip of Wild Bird Cover along an existing field boundary

2. Leave 2m unsown between the crop and the boundary

3. Don’t plant near watercourses.

4. Crop must remain in place until at least March 1st the following year.

5. Not suitable for peatland or scrub/ woodland fields or near archaeological monuments.

6. Include at least 1 cereal crop and at least two other crop species from the approved list.

7. Protect the crop from livestock

8. No use of herbicides post planting.

9. You can apply small quantities of granulated lime and fertiliser to support the crop

For the full details on requirements for this action you should read the Dept. of Agriculture, Food and the Marine’s Specifications for Non Productive Investments. You can find them by clicking here.

Implementation Notes

The location should not be adjacent to houses, schools, public buildings or busy roads.

Destroy existing sward by ploughing or application of herbicide, apply granulated lime and small amount of fertiliser at time of sowing.

The location should not be adjacent to houses, schools, or public buildings.

• Triticale is the preferred cereal due to its tolerance of low soil pH, relatively infertile soils and its resistance to lodging. Triticale along with Linseed and at least two other species (Mustard, Forage Radish, Phacelia and Vetch) is the recommended mix for this NPI. See Table 18 and 19 below of WBC mixtures in the Specifications for Non Productive Investments.

• Preparation of the soil is key. Carry out pre sowing weed control to aid good establishment. Cultivate the soil by ploughing, light cultivation, power harrowing etc. to generate a fine seedbed. Roll the plot/strip after sowing.

• To ensure crop establishment one bag of Granulated lime per 100m strip is recommended. Nutrients can be applied in line with crop requirements and maximum fertiliser rates allowed for spring cereal as described in Statutory Instrument Number 113 of 2022.

• Livestock damage to the crop may result in the crop not being certified as delivered.

• The same site can be used for linear strips of Wild Bird cover for up to 3 years. Grasses
should be allowed to re-establish naturally after you are finished using the site for wild bird cover.

Good Locations:

Low Scoring Grasslands or Rough Grazing fields.
Where Barn Owl, Hen Harrier or Yellowhammer are an objective.

Poor Locations:

High scoring Grasslands.
Waders are an objective.
Geese or Swans are an objective.
Near Houses or schools.
Near busy roads or railways.
Near Wind turbines.
Near an Archaeological Monument

Can I put a Wild Bird Cover strip beside a river?

– Yes, once it is at least 6m from the top of the bank, if you are in a Freshwater Pearl Mussel area or in a High Water Status area the distance must be greater than 12m.

Why should I not put a Wild Bird Cover strip along a road or near houses?

– These locations are unsuitable due to the danger to birds from traffic and the nuisance to residents from rodents.

What seed mix should I use?

– At least one or more of these cereals: spring oats/ triticale/wheat/barley and At least two or more of the following: linseed, oil-seed rape, phacelia, fodder radish, mustard, spring vetch, lucerne, chicory, or birds-foot trefoil.

I am in the Organic Scheme, can I avail of this NPI?

– Yes you can but no pesticides or chemical fertiliser can be used. The site would need to be ploughed as herbicides cannot be used for pre sowing sward destruction. In an organic system you should only use the site once for this NPI before returning it to grassland. You can of course use a different site the following year.