How to fight invasive plants in drainage ditches?

Farmers who manage the slopes of drainage ditches and rivers regulated for drainage purposes will be able to receive support for invasive plant eradication. This will be the first time such support has been granted. The procedure for obtaining it is laid down in the implementing rules for the new measure "Managing the spread of invasive species on the slopes of reclamation ditches" of the Lithuanian Strategic Plan for Agriculture and Rural Development for 2023-2027.

Farmers, associations of users of reclamation systems operating on the basis of a joint activity/partnership agreement, groups of natural and/or legal persons, and municipalities will be eligible to apply for support.

It will be possible to manage the slopes of drainage ditches and rivers regulated for drainage purposes, removing invasive plants (Sosnovsky's, Mantegac's sedge, etc.), thus contributing to the preservation of biodiversity. Applications for support are to be submitted together with applications for direct payments.

Two payments are foreseen for ditch slope improvement: €644/ha or €773/ha (in case of joint activities).

The eligible area must be included in the electronic map layer „Management of invasive species on the slopes of reclamation ditches“ of the Application Acceptance Information System.This area includes the slopes of reclamation ditches and rivers regulated for reclamation purposes and a 3 metre wide strip above the top of the ditch slope where invasive species have been identified, as well as a 50 metre long strip in both directions from the identified invasive species distribution area along the ditch and a 3 metre wide strip from the top of the ditch slope, respectively.

The total area eligible for support must be at least 0,1 ha, which may consist of fields of at least 0,01 ha.

The beneficiary will be required to comply with the commitments from the date of submission of the application for the current year until 31 December of the last year of commitment. The duration of the commitment period is 5 years, applying annually and declaring the same areas/fields. The duration of the commitments cannot be changed.

This intervention measure supports the eradication of invasive plant species listed in Annex 1 to the Regulation. Their locations must be mapped in the Invasive Species module of the Biodiversity Information System.

The applicant will be obliged to apply the methods of eradication of individual invasive plant species (plants cannot be eradicated by chemical means) and to comply with the eradication deadlines specified in the Action Plan for the Management of Invasive Plant Species on the Slopes of Drainage Ditches (Annex 2 of the Rules).