SFI 2026 action

OFM1: Organic land management – improved permanent grassland

Changed from SFI24: you enter the parcel's whole available area, measured as it stands when you apply, paid at £20 per hectare per year.
Changed from SFI24
Payment
£20 per hectare per year
Duration
3 years
Uptake in SFI23/24
162 agreements, £149k paid, 7,430 ha

What changed for SFI26

The following changes have been made to this action for SFI26 (compared with the SFI24 version):

  • you enter the parcel's whole available area, and that area is measured as it stands when you apply
  • minor updates to standard wording which appears in all area-based SFI actions

How many farms have this action in SFI23/24?

162 agreements
44th of 71
£149k paid
58th of 71
7,430 hectares
29th of 64 hectare-based
Estimated payments in the 2025 calendar year, from Defra's CS and SFI release. These are agreements, not farms: one business can hold several, and Defra advises they cannot be summed across actions. Ranks compare the 71 actions that remain in SFI26, and area ranks only against actions measured in the same unit.

What the action involves

This action’s aim is that improved and semi-improved grassland is maintained under organic management.

The purpose of this is to:

  • improve soil health
  • increase biodiversity
  • improve water quality

What you must do

You must comply with the organic standards required by your Defra-licensed organic control body on land entered into this action.

When to do it

You must do this action from its start date, throughout each year of its 3-year duration.

Where you can do it

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

  • registered as ‘fully organic’ by a Defra-licensed organic control body
  • an eligible land type (as defined in section 5.1.1 ‘Eligible land types’ in the 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 static. This means you must do it at the same location each year of this action’s duration.

Evidence to keep

You must keep:

  • a valid organic certificate and schedule for all land entered into this action – this must cover at least the full period of this action’s duration
  • records to show the land is improved grassland or semi-improved low input permanent grassland

You must supply this evidence if we ask for it.

Read the full guidance on GOV.UK

What you can do on the same land

Actions and options you can put on the same area of a land parcel, by scheme.
SFI 2026
AGF1, AGF2, BFS6, CIGL1, CIGL2, CIGL3, CLIG3, CNUM2, CSAM3, HEF6, PRF1, PRF2, WBD4, WBD6, WBD7
SFI 2024
AGF1, AGF2, BFS3, BFS5, BFS6, CIGL1, CIGL2, CIGL3, CIPM1, CLIG3, CNUM1, CNUM2, CSAM1, CSAM3, HEF5, HEF6, PRF1, PRF2, WBD4, WBD5, WBD6, WBD7, WBD8
SFI 2023
IGL1, IGL2, IGL3, IPM1, LIG1, LIG2, NUM1, NUM2, SAM1, SAM3
CS Higher Tier, 2025+
CAGF1, CAGF2, CAGF3, CAGF4, CBE4, CBE5, CCT10, CCT2, CCT4, CCT5, CCT7, CGS18, CGS19, CGS20, CGS21, CGS22, CGS25, CGS4, CHS2, CHS4, CHS5, CHS6, CHS7, CLH3, CPAC1, CSP13, CSP14, CSP15, CSP20, CSP21, CSP9, CSW12, CSW13, CSW15, CSW16, CSW18, CSW20, CSW21, CSW23, CSW24, CSW25, CSW7, CSW8, CWD20, CWD21, CWD22, CWS1, CWS3, CWT1, CWT14
CS options
BE2, BE5, CT2, CT4, CT5, CT7, GS1, GS10, GS11, GS12, GS13, GS14, GS2, GS5, GS7, GS8, GS9, HS2, HS4, HS5, HS6, HS7, LH3, SW10, SW11, SW12, SW13, SW15, SW16, SW18, SW2, SW7, SW8, SW9, WD10, WD11, WD12, WD4, WD5, WD6, WT1, WT7, WT9
Environmental Stewardship
No revenue options
SFI Shepherd
Planning an SFI26 application

Build the plan field by field, and see the clashes before you apply

SFI Shepherd adds actions to your fields from your RPA maps, flags conflicts with SFI and Countryside Stewardship agreements you already hold, tracks the 25% limited-area total across the whole holding, and exports a summary ready for the RPA portal. Draft as many versions as you like and compare them side by side.

Get your SFI 2026 application planned today