CSAM2: Multi-species winter cover crop

No substantive changes have been made to this action for SFI26 (compared with the SFI24 version). There have only been minor updates to standard wording which appears in all area-based SFI actions.

This action’s aim is that there’s a multi-species cover crop that’s:

• well-established over the winter months
• present between harvesting a cash crop and establishing the next cash crop

The purpose of this is to:

• protect the soil surface
• provide root growth that benefits soil structure
• supports soil biology and minimises nutrient leaching, soil erosion and runoff

What you must do

You must establish a multi-species cover crop on land entered into this action which will not be harvested as a ‘cash crop’.

A ‘cash crop’ means a crop grown to be harvested for commercial use.

You must establish the multi-species cover crop early enough so it can reasonably be expected to achieve this action’s aim.

You must use a seed mix that contains at least 2 species from 2 or more of the following plant families:

• brassicas
• legumes
• cereals or grasses
• herbs

You must avoid growing deep rooted species on any area within a land parcel with historic or archaeological features identified in your SFI HEFER. Read section 5.3 ‘Land with historic or archaeological features’ in the SFI SFI26 scheme information for more details.

You must maintain the multi-species cover crop over the winter months in a way that can reasonably be expected to achieve this action’s aim. You can graze the cover crop with livestock, but it must still be well-established over the winter months.

For the purposes of this action’s aim, the cover crop will be well-established if there’s:

• leafy vegetation that’s sufficiently well grown so the cover crop protects the soil surface for the duration of the winter months (usually from early December until late February)
• minimal bare soil

If something happens which means you cannot complete this action you must tell the RPA in writing as soon as possible. For example, if there’s prolonged adverse weather which means the cover crop is not well-established. Read section 12.2 ‘What to do if you cannot comply with your agreement’ in the SFI SFI26 scheme information to find out how to do this.

You must not do the following on the well-established cover crop:

• mechanically apply any fertilisers or manures
• destroy it before the end of the winter months, unless you’re establishing an early-sown spring crop

If you’re establishing an early-sown spring crop, you may destroy the multi-species cover crop before the end of the winter months. You must not do this more than 6 weeks before you establish the early-sown spring crop.

When you destroy the multi-species cover crop, you should try to minimise risks such as compaction, poaching, soil runoff or erosion.

You can maintain an existing multi-species cover crop to get paid for this action if it:

• meets this action’s requirements
• is not already being paid for under another environmental land management scheme option – you can use a cover crop paid for under SOH3 (multi-species summer-sown cover crop) to meet this action, but only if you overseed it

When to do it

You must do this action each year of its 3-year duration.

If this action’s start date means it’s too late for you to do this action, you must start doing it within 12 months of the action’s start date.

In the final year of this action’s duration, you must do this action until the end of the winter months, or this action’s end date, whichever is earlier.

Where you can do it

You can do this action on agricultural land located below the moorland line that’s:

• an eligible land type (as defined in section 5.1.1 ‘Eligible land types’ in the SFI SFI26 scheme information)
• registered with an eligible land cover on your digital maps
• declared with a land use code which is compatible with the eligible land cover

Rotational or static

This action is rotational or static. This means you can either:

• move its location for the second and third years of this action’s duration
• do it at the same location each year of this action’s duration

Evidence to keep

You must keep evidence to show what you’ve done to complete this action, such as:

• field operations at a land parcel level and associated invoices, including details of the seed mix used
• photographs or other documentation

If it’s not clear that you’ve done this action in a way that could reasonably be expected to achieve its aim, we may ask for this evidence. You must supply the evidence if we ask for it.