Herefordshire Meadows endeavours to utilise the precious seed resource provided by species-rich grassland as responsibly and productively as possible.  We make all efforts to reduce potential impacts upon the seed donor sites and fulfil any environmental legislation and licensing requirements, by adhering to the following protocol.

Responsible use of the seed resource

Herefordshire Meadows aims to create a net gain for Herefordshire’s seed resource through its seed harvesting and grassland restoration work.

• Grasslands with a high density of positive indicator species are selected as seed donor sites, due to the increased likelihood of there being a surplus of seed available beyond what is needed to replenish the seed bank.  Grasslands of lesser quality or in the process of being restored are not harvested from as there is less likely to be a surplus of seed, and the removal of any by seed harvesting may negatively impact upon their ongoing improvement..

• Receptor sites for the seed are secured on a yearly basis, limited to species-poor grassland with a good prospect of restoration e.g. committed landowners, appropriate management secured, and suitable conditions such as low weed burden and low Phosphorous index.  Each year our seed harvesting operations are planned to provide only what is needed to restore those sites, ensuring that no seed is needlessly harvested, and only goes to sites properly prepared for its best use.

• Efforts are made to match receptor sites with local seed donor sites of similar soil and habitat type, so that the seed provided contains locally appropriate species, and has the best possible chance of success.

• Local provenance seed is harvested to create species-rich grassland in the local area only, and is not transported or sold outside the region.  This ensures that any potential impact caused by seed harvesting upon the area’s species-rich grassland is balanced by the creation of additional species-rich habitat in the area.  Thus, increasing the local seed resource instead of depleting it.

Legislation and licensing

Herefordshire Meadows seed harvesting operations comply with all necessary environmental legislation and government licensing requirements.

• Herefordshire Meadows holds a seed marketing licence, with a designation for “collection, preparation and marketing of Preservation Mixtures”, which is renewed each year.  This is a legal requirement prior to any harvesting, transport or sharing of wildflower seed, even if not being commercially sold. More info here on the Gov.uk website.

• The Preservation Mixtures designation is renewed yearly, with the following information to be provided to the Animal and Plant Health Agency (APHA): Harvesting method, region of origin, address/locations harvested from, grid reference of harvest locations, source area and area of intended use e.g. National Character Area, source habitat and habitat of intended use, species composition, date of harvesting, reference number for identification, weight of harvest, area of harvest (hectares), name and address of recipient.

• Seed mixtures are labelled according to APHA guidelines when stored and provided to receptor site owners, and samples of each harvest are retained and appropriately labelled for APHA inspection.

• When seed harvesting is proposed at sites with statutory designations, such as Sites of Special Scientific Interest (SSSI), Natural England (NE) is contacted with notice of the proposal so that consent can be gained for the activity.  This process involves filling out a form providing all necessary information and evidence regarding the nature of the works, and appropriate safeguards made against negative impact e.g. harvesting from only a portion of the designated habitat.

• At all proposed harvest sites the method and location of operations is agreed with the landowner in advance, and the hay cut is delayed until the harvest has been completed – with flexibility always provided to ensure that the hay cut is not unduly delayed or jeopardised as this could negatively impact upon management of the meadow.

• A discretionary financial reward is provided in thanks, to offset any inconvenience to the landowner or purchaser of the valuable species-rich hay crop.

Appropriate Equipment

Herefordshire Meadows has invested in specialist lightweight machinery which minimises the impact of the operation on seed donor sites.

• Seed harvesting machinery is small (approx. 1.2m width) lightweight (approx. 250kg net) is fitted with flotation tyres, and is towed by a small sit-astride quad bike.  This small-scale machinery is used to minimuse the physical impact of the works upon the habitat, hay crop, and to avoid soil compaction.  

• The machinery is a brush-harvester, employing a high-speed rotating brush which has little to no impact upon the quality of the hay crop, and which leaves a good portion of the seed behind on the plants.  This relatively gentle process ensures that any area passed over with the harvester is not completely denuded of seed, leaving much behind to germinate on-site. 

• Use of small and highly manoeuvrable machinery allows weed species to be avoided so that these are not harvested and introduced to the receptor sites.  Sensitive indicator species existing in low numbers at a donor site can also be avoided thanks to the good moveability and visibility provided by the machinery.

Harvesting method

Herefordshire Meadows endeavours to carry out the seed harvesting process in such a way that minimises any potential impacts upon the quality and ongoing management of the donor site.

• Seed harvesting takes place during 1 visit, at a time when a good variety of target species are ripe and ready to drop their seed.  Making repeat visits in order to obtain a better/wider variety of seed is not employed as it would increase the overall impact of the operation.  Instead, the seed might be mixed with seed from another site to ensure a good spread of indicator species.

• To reduce the overall impact of the operation on any one area, no more than 50% of a field parcel is harvested from.  This is achieved by harvesting in alternate strips across the entirety of the meadow, or where habitat constraints, terrain, or the problem species prevent this, patches are harvested from totalling no more than 50% of the entire area available.  Areas of a field with a comparatively lower density of broad-leaved species are avoided, as these may not hold a surplus of seed to offer.

• The harvest is hand-sifted on site, so that ‘waste’ removed in the form of stalks, grass, leaf and large seed heads remain for attached seed to germinate where possible.

• Seed donor sites are harvested from only once in any three year period.  This, in addition to harvesting from only 50% of a field-parcel, and using small-scale machinery that only harvests a portion of the seed passed over, ensures that the portion of seed removed from a field in any three-year period is absolutely minimal.

Seed storage/transport

Herefordshire Meadows takes measures to ensure that seed is stored and transported according APHA guidelines and in such a way as to minimise losses and waste.

• Freshly harvested seed is transported off-site promptly in a trailer or air-conditioned vehicle, as overheating can lead to reduced germination rates.

• The harvest is spread out in a cool, dry location and only bagged up when fully dry, as any remaining moisture can lead to rot.  Fully dry seed is stored in a cool and dry location, and protected from pests as much as possible until ready for transport to receptor sites. 

• Sacks of seed and samples are labelled as per APHA guidelines.

• Seed is broadcast onto receptor sites in the months shortly after it is harvested to ensure no loss of condition, as some seed such as Yellow rattle has reduced germination after 1 year.

Download a copy of Herefordshire Meadows Seed Harvesting Protocol

Herefordshire Meadows also has a Policy on Grassland Creation