In 2025 there will be new peatland and wetland standards under Cross Compliance which will prohibit a range of activities from being carried out on peatland and wetland areas. We will continue to develop rural support mechanisms to incorporate further requirements to protect and enhance soil health, promote control of soil erosion/compaction and maintain / enhance soil organic matter through appropriate balance of input/outputs and nutrient levels.
Objective 3: Embed nature positive Farming, Fishing and Forestry
Priority Action 15. Introduce an agricultural support framework which delivers for nature restoration and biodiversity alongside climate and food production outcomes
New cross-compliance requirements for peatlands and wetlands have been introduced under GAEC 6 (Maintenance of Soil Organic Matter) as part of Scotland’s agricultural support framework from 2025. These rules form part of the Basic Payment Scheme conditionality system and explicitly restrict damaging activities on peatland and wetland soils, including ploughing, cultivation, drainage, fertiliser and pesticide application, and other actions that risk drying or degrading these habitats.
The GAEC 6 update strengthens protection by extending soil organic matter safeguards to include peatlands and wetlands as distinct land types within the cross-compliance framework. These requirements are applied across agricultural holdings receiving support payments and are intended to reduce greenhouse gas emissions and prevent further soil degradation.
Policy documentation confirms that these requirements were introduced in 2025 as part of the transition to a reformed agricultural support system, alongside wider conditionality changes including Whole Farm Plans and enhanced greening requirements.
However, broader soil health measures (including erosion control, compaction prevention, and soil organic matter management beyond GAEC compliance) remain under development within the agricultural reform programme and are not yet consolidated into a single integrated soil health standard or regulatory framework.
Peatlands and wetlands are recognised as highly carbon-rich ecosystems, and GAEC 6 protections are explicitly designed to maintain soil organic matter and reduce greenhouse gas emissions by preventing activities that degrade these habitats.
These ecosystems are sensitive to drainage, cultivation, and soil disturbance, with regulatory restrictions aimed at preventing drying, vegetation damage, and hydrological disruption that can lead to long-term habitat degradation.
Scottish Government and research evidence confirm that peatland protection is important for climate mitigation due to the large carbon stocks stored in these soils, and that degradation can convert peatlands from carbon sinks into sources of emissions.
SEPA and environmental policy frameworks identify soil degradation processes (including erosion, compaction, and loss of soil organic matter) as key pressures affecting ecosystem function, water regulation, and habitat quality in agricultural landscapes.
NatureScot evidence highlights that peatland restoration and protection are essential for biodiversity conservation and ecosystem resilience, but outcomes depend on both regulatory protection and active restoration measures.
State of Nature Scotland shows continued biodiversity decline across multiple habitat types, indicating that while soil and peatland protections are strengthening, broader ecological recovery has not yet been achieved at landscape scale.
Overall, the introduction of GAEC 6 peatland and wetland protections represents a clear and implemented strengthening of cross-compliance policy, with explicit restrictions now in place. However, wider soil health reform remains incomplete and fragmented, meaning ecological outcomes will depend on enforcement consistency and integration with broader land management systems.
GAEC 6 Cross Compliance Guidance – Rural Payments
Cross Compliance Quick Guide – Scottish Government
Scottish Government – Agricultural Reform SEA Report
Farm Advisory Service – Peatland Protection
State of Nature Scotland
In 2025, as part of eligibility requirement for Basic Payment Scheme, businesses must undertake two from the following five baselines: biodiversity audit, carbon audit, soil analysis, animal health and welfare plan and integrated pest management plan as part of a revised rural payments process that encourages Nature Positive activities.
Implement actions specifically benefitting farmland species as part of ongoing support and the new agricultural payments framework backed by advisory support including new greening requirements which will be introduced in 2026 and form part of the enhanced tier of the future framework.
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