Sustainable Farming Scheme: regulatory baseline: landscape features (scheduled monuments, ditches and trees) (GAEC 7) (2026)

Landscape features and Scheduled Monuments are an important part of Wales’ environment, providing historical and cultural value in addition to providing valuable shelter for livestock, nesting cover for birds and a variety of habitats for wildlife.

Scheduled Monuments are protected under GAEC 7 and under the Ancient Monuments and Archaeological Areas Act, 1979 (as amended by the Historic Environment (Wales) Act, 2016). It is an offence under the act to damage or disturb a Scheduled Monument, including activities which cause or encourage ground disturbance.

Scheduled monuments

Do not cause damage to a Scheduled Monument through activities which cause or encourage soil erosion or ground disturbance on scheduled monuments, e.g:

1. overgrazing
2. allowing growth of invasive scrub or vegetation
3. trampling and poaching
4. vehicle tracking, particularly on steep slopes or when ground conditions are wet
5. supplementary feeding
6. allowing cultivation to encroach on the boundary of a Scheduled Monument
7. storage of equipment, materials and rubbish

• no work to a Scheduled Monument may be carried out (e.g. ploughing, fencing, drainage, track upgrades, etc.) without written consent from Cadw
• ​​​fully comply with all requirements within any consent

• retain all ditches (including dry ditches) on the holding, unless consent has been obtained (from the relevant local authority) allowing their removal

• if you need to fell more than 5 cubic metres of trees per calendar quarter (providing not more than 2 cubic metres is sold) it will be necessary to obtain a felling licence from Natural Resources Wales. No felling even with a licence can take place between 1 March and 31 August
• trees protected by a Tree Protection Order (issued by the local authority) cannot be cut, trimmed or felled without the permission of your local authority

• check retention of scheduled ancient monuments and ditches on the ground against maps and aerial photography
• check that Scheduled Monuments have not been damaged
• check compliance with felling licence rules
• check compliance with the requirements of Tree Preservation Orders 

• check the location and extent of Scheduled Ancient Monuments on your land. This can be done using Cof Cymru to search Cadw records. If you are unsure, you should contact Cadw
• monitor the condition of Schedule Ancient Monuments for signs of disturbance due to erosion, overgrazing, supplementary feeding, etc. and take appropriate measures to remove the cause and give the land time to recover.
• take necessary advice from Natural Resources Wales if you are unsure whether you require a felling licence
• contact your local authority regarding the management of any trees subject to a Tree Preservation Order

For further information please contact:

• Welsh Government
• Natural Resources Wales
• Cadw

or see Sustainable Farming Scheme: regulatory baseline: useful contacts (2026).