FAQ's

Closely mown grass unfortunately has little to no benefit for nature. Pollinators across the UK are in trouble due to pressures such as pesticide use and loss of habitat. 

We need to provide them with homes and places to feed to ensure their survival. 

The council manages a significant amount of grassland by regular mowing and there is a significant opportunity to enhance biodiversity and provide homes for these pollinators in the county through a change of management on some of this area. 

Changing the way we manage areas of our amenity grass is a key contribution that we can make to help tackle the Nature and Climate Emergencies declared by both Welsh Government and Carmarthenshire County Council.

The Council also has a duty protect, conserve and enhance our natural environment under the terms of the Corporate Strategy (Well Being Objective 3-9), the Council’s Vision Statement for 2022–27, Biodiversity Duty Plan, and Wales Pollinator Action Plan. 

Improving the extent and condition of wildflower grassland will also have benefits for wellbeing of communities, as research has proven that being close to nature improves mental health and wellbeing.

Collecting the mown grass (arisings) reduces nutrient levels and prevents a thick thatch from forming. This allows wildflower seeds to germinate and prevents vigorous competitive species from dominating. Over time, removing the cuttings makes verges easier to manage as reduced nutrient levels means that slower growing flower species start to replace lush grass growth. 

For the Amenity Cut grass will be cut regularly and left on the ground, for the Nectar and Meadow Cut, arisings will wither be left on site in suitable locations or taken to a Green Waste Site.

Yes, changes to management were trialled at about 30 sites across the county in 2022/23.

This was promoted and there was broad support. Changes were made where required.

No. Safety will always come first, which means some areas will still be regularly mown as visibility splays.

Highways verges are not included within the changes here. They are managed b the Council’s Highways Division.

In the short term, although there will be a reduction in cutting in some particular areas at particular times of the year, there is still a cost involved in collecting arisings, maintaining machinery and in some cases, removing arisings from site. From pilot work undertaken we envisage that the while there is unlikely to be any immediate saving to the council from the scheme. Ultimately, over time, this approach is likely to be cost neutral or may lead to a cost saving for the Council. 

We recognise that this change to our traditional management of blanket mowing might take time to get used to by some people that prefer closely cut grass.. 

For the Nectar cut the growth will not be much higher for the 6-week cuts.

Some of the sites may take a few years for the fine grasses and wildflowers to become more dominant than the vigorous grasses. With each year it will look better, and we hope that in future we will all be able to appreciate the colour variation and wildlife value of tall grass.

We will mow the path and road edges will be mown to maintain a neat appearance. 

This is not a plan to sow annual wildflower’ seed mixes. Annual seed mixes may look colourful, but they have drawbacks. They are sometimes called ‘wildflowers’ but are often non-native species. They can be expensive to buy, require work to establish and may need to be sown each year. Herbicides are often used to clear areas before sowing. Sowing these mixes does little to conserve our native wildflowers. They do not support the wide range of invertebrates that feed on native meadow flowers. Our aim is to encourage the native seed bank to flourish through a change in management. This is the most sustainable method of increasing the area and extent of grasslands to support flowering plants in Carmarthenshire. 

The Council favours change of management over seeding or planting where possible, in order to encourage the native seed bank to flourish without introducing non-native species or those which would not naturally occur in the area. 

If, after 5 years of management through cut and collect, the area is showing no signs of increasing in wildflower diversity, we may consider assisting the establishment of wildflowers by sourcing plug plants, green hay or seeds of local origin. 

In most cases, Meadow Cut areas will be marked with the CCC Managed for Wildlife sign but if this is not present, please get in touch to check if an area is included in the scheme. 

The Council is in the process of mapping all of our sites and this will include areas managed for pollinators.

No, hay fever is mainly caused by grasses and managing with cut and collect machinery will reduce the nutrients and lead to a reduction in grasses and an increase in wildflowers.

Wildflowers are pollinated by insects rather than wind, so they do not release their pollen in the same way as grasses and trees. 

Increased tall grass areas will not attract more rats, pests or other vermin. Rats are part of the natural environment and present in most locations. Tall grass does not provide a food source for rats. Most rats get their food source from discarded food and food wrappers.

Ticks live in areas of dense vegetation such as grassland and woodland locations. Ticks are also part of the natural environment, but for them to be present, a contributing host (such as deer or sheep) have to be present regularly. In most of our amenity grassland areas within settlements populations of both host animals and ticks in general are low.

We encourage those enjoying these environments to take care along with pet owners.

It is every owner’s responsibility to collect their dog's waste, regardless of the grass height or environment. 

The biodiversity benefits of slightly longer grass in some areas outweigh any potential increase in dog fouling.

Taller grass also does not stop residents from still being responsible for not dropping litter. We will litter pick areas before we mow the grass. 

Of course! Just get in touch on the email address below. Please bear in mind that there are restrictions which may prevent the area from being included in the scheme, including safety or amenity reasons. Additionally, we are only able to include local authority owned land. 

Of course. If you would like to discuss this for a particular area, please get in touch. Reasons for taking a site out of the site must be based on safety, site limitations (size, slope, drainage).