Arable Field Margins and Beetle Banks

Associated Species

Bats

Brown hare

Grey partridge

Song thrush

Skylark

Tree sparrow

Associated Habitat action plans

Arable fields

Hedgerows

For the purposes of this Action Plan "arable field margin" refers to strips of land lying between arable crops and the field boundary, and extending for a limited distance into the crop, which are deliberately managed to create conditions which benefit key farmland species. "Beetle banks" are strips of land lying across arable fields (particularly valuable in larger fields), that are uncultivated, managed the same way as arable field margins, but are not adjacent to a field boundary.

Grass margins (also known as wildlife strips, arable margins or headlands) are usually 2 or 6 metres wide, but are even more valuable when much wider. This margin is usually uncultivated natural grassland, self-seeded, or sown with a carefully chosen wildlife mix, and with a diversity of perennial broadleaf plants. The vegetation is cut annually or approximately every three years to prevent scrub invasion. This margin should be at least 6 metres wide when adjacent to watercourses, to protect from spray drift of fertilisers or pesticides.
Crop margins (also known as conservation margins, or conservation headlands) are usually 6 to 12 metres wide, forming the outer margin of the crop, with usually a grass margin adjacent and outside it. The crop margin is cultivated as part of the field, but pesticides and fertilisers are reduced or ideally not applied at all to this margin, allowing arable annual plants and invertebrates to prosper. If rare arable annuals such as corn marigold occur in the field margin then a grass margin isn't appropriate, a crop margin should be used alone.
Hedgerows and arable fields themselves are covered under separate action plans.

Arable field margins produce low crop yields, and due to current grants available could be managed for wildlife at little or no economic cost. The current resource of "wildlife-friendly" arable field margin in Birmingham and the Black Country is close to zero (6.4 kms is known of in Walsall), but the potential for creation is enormous. This could be either as beetle banks or around field margins, throughout our urban fringe countryside.

Arable field margins as described in this plan could provide nesting and feeding sites for grey partridge, barn owl and some passerines. Many species of butterflies, grasshoppers, and bugs are associated with such sites. Many polyphagous invertebrates (i.e. feeders on a range of foods) breed in crops, spending the winter on grassy banks and at the interface of crops, hedges and other features. Even excluding soil invertebrates, micro-organisms and transients, some 2,000 species of invertebrate are commonly found in arable fields. Field margins support invertebrates of economic, ecological and aesthetic value, and with certain predatory species increase crop yields without the use of pesticides.

Even more dependent on arable field margins are the rare arable annual flowers that occur in the crop margin. Arable wild flowers are of conservation concern because of enormous national declines in their distribution and abundance. Overall, some 300 species of plants can occur in arable fields. Also in decline are the invertebrates that depend on these arable "weeds", and the animals that feed on them such as grey partridge.

The main factors which have reduced the wildlife value of field margins are:

Intensification of arable production, including the increased use of fertilisers, and pesticides resulting in diminished species diversity.
The shift from spring to winter cropping and associated loss of winter stubbles
The reduction in rotation of cereal crops with other land covers reducing grass leys and fallow land
Ploughing closer and closer to the base of the hedge thus reducing the marginal habitat
Deliberate management of field margins to keep them "neat and tidy"
Removal of field boundary hedges to make larger arable fields, with associated loss of a large area of quality field margin

3.1 Legal status

Arable field margins have no legal status.

Under the Food and Environmental Protection Act 1985 it is illegal to spray pesticides into hedge bases, unless there is a specific label recommendation or a specific off-label approval.

Under the current procedures for pesticide registration and review, some compounds have statutory label exemptions preventing their use on the outermost 6 metre wide strips of crops. These restrictions are designed to prevent overspraying of water courses and protect non-cropped habitats.

3.2 Management, research and guidance

Arable field margins are targeted under the only environmental land management scheme available in our area, the Countryside Stewardship Scheme. Funding is available to support 2 or 6 metre grass margins or beetle banks, the adjacent crop margins should usually be managed with little or no fertiliser/pesticide inputs.

Farmers can meet their set-aside requirements by setting aside field margins of a minimum 20 metre width. The scheme literature advises them on how best to manage the margins to benefit wildlife. Proportions of a farmer's land to be set-aside may vary from year to year.

OBJECTIVE	TARGET
Increase total length of field margins maintained for wildlife	See actions table
Reduction of pesticides and fertiliser application on field margins and crop edges	Ongoing
Increase number of farms with beetle banks across at least some of their fields	Ongoing
Increase in grant aid acquired and availability of advisers to allow the above increases	Ongoing
Increase public awareness of habitat value of field margins	Ongoing
Increase knowledge of biodiversity of field margins on farms within the region	Ongoing

ACTION	Potential Deliverers		YEARS							Meets Objective No.
ACTION	Lead	Partner	2001	2002	2003	2004	2005	2006	2011	Meets Objective No.
5.1 Policy and legislation
Lobby for positive conservation incentives and increased grant aid for the creation and sympathetic management of field margins.	EN, FRCA	WT, RSPB, FWAG								1,4
Focus on areas of high biodiversity (e.g. barn owl sites) to increase the network of field margins and thus enhancing populations.	FRCA	WT, EN, RSPB, FWAG								1
Continue to promote the use of the Countryside Stewardship Scheme	MAFF / FRCA	LAs								1,2,3,4
5.2 Site/species safeguard and management
Increase total length of 6 metre wide grass margins to 12 km and maintain for wildlife	FRCA, LO, FWAG									1
Increase total length of 2 metre wide grass margins to 15 km and maintain for wildlife	FRCA, LO, FWAG									1
Use demonstration farms to highlight the importance of field margins and how they can be part of a commercially run farm.	FWAG	LAs, LO								1,5
Campaign for and advise reduced use of pesticides and fertilisers on field margins	ALL									2
Review management guidelines for field margins, in the light of research findings.	FRCA, FWAG	WT, EN, RSPB, MAFF, LAs								1
5.3 Advice
To promote and advise farmers/landowners on field margin management.	MAFF, FRCA	LAs								1
Retain and increase existing adviser staffing levels in the area.	MAFF, FRCA	LAs								3
5.4 Future research and monitoring
Survey existing field margins to determine their quality and biodiversity.	EN	WT, LAs, LO, RSPB								6
Initiate at least one new Common Bird Census, one small mammal survey and one invertebrate survey for whole farm arable field margins.	EN, RSPB	ALL								6
Support research into arable field margin habitat	EN, Eds	ALL								6
5.5 Publicity
Increase public awareness of habitat value	WT	ALL								5
5.6 Links to other action plans
Arable fields, hedgerows

This Biodiversity Action Plan will be implemented over 10 years with a first review after 5 years. A group will be set up to co-ordinate implementation and to report to the Biodiversity Action Plan Steering Group. This group will meet at a minimum on a yearly basis.

Review will be carried out in conjunction with related Habitat and Species Action Plans as appropriate and will consist of measuring achievement of targets. The group will, with the support of the Steering Group, develop and implement appropriate monitoring methods, which will inform the review process.

The Action Plan will be revised and updated in the light of review results and any relevant changes in circumstances and / or additional information which becomes available during the review period.

In line with national guidance, the Steering Group will report to the UK Biodiversity Steering Group.

Printing of this publication for educational purposes is permitted, provided that copies are not made or distributed for commercial gain, and the title of the publication and its date appear. To copy otherwise, or to republish, requires specific permission from the Steering Group.