What the action involves
This action’s aim is that improved grassland entered into this action is maintained so it’s left to go to seed during the autumn and winter months.
The purpose of this is to provide winter food for farmland birds.
When to do it
If you’re doing this action on the same area of land for the 3-year duration of your SFI agreement, you must:
- start maintaining the improved grassland within the first 12 months of your SFI agreement
- continue to maintain the area of improved grassland in each subsequent year of your 3-year SFI agreement
If you’re rotating this action around your farm, each year of your SFI agreement you must do it for a period of time that could reasonably be expected to achieve this action’s aim.
How to do it It’s up to you how you complete this action, as long as you do it in a way that can reasonably be expected to achieve this action’s aim.
You may find it helpful to read the voluntary guidance on how to maintain winter bird food on improved grassland, but you do not have to follow it.
What evidence to keep You should keep evidence to show what you’ve done to complete this action. This will help if it’s not clear that you’ve completed the action in a way that could reasonably be expected to achieve this action’s aim. You must supply this evidence if we ask for it.
This evidence could include photographs and other documentation to show what you’ve done to complete this action. It could also include field operations at a land parcel level and associated invoices. If you choose to take photographs, read the guidance on how to take photographic evidence (annex A).
The SFI actions for buffer strips include:
- AHL4: Establish and maintain a 4m to 12m grass buffer strip on arable and horticultural land
- IGL3: Establish and maintain a 4m to 12m grass buffer strip on improved grassland
The same action appears in the other schemes under a different code. The work is broadly the same; the rate and the length of the commitment are not.
- SFI26 — CIGL2: £515 per hectare per year, over 3 years
- SFI26 pays the same rate.
Where you can do it
You can do this action on eligible agricultural land located below the moorland line. The table below sets out what land is eligible for IGL2.
Eligible land type Eligible land use code Compatible land cover Temporary grassland TG01 Arable land Improved permanent grassland PG01 Permanent grassland
The glossary (annex C) explains what we mean by land types, land use codes and compatible land covers.
The SFI application service will automatically calculate what area may be eligible for this action in each land parcel. This is called the ‘SFI available area’. You must check this area is an eligible land type. Find out how the SFI available area is calculated in the information on land that’s eligible for the SFI actions (section 4.1.2).
You can apply for this action on either the total SFI available area in each land parcel shown in your SFI application, or part of that area.
For SFI applications submitted on or after 26 March 2024, this is a ‘limited area’ action. The total eligible area you enter into any combination of one or more of the ‘limited area’ actions must not be more than 25% of the total agricultural area of your farm.
Read the guidance on ‘SFI actions with an area limit’ (at the start of section 2) for more information and a list of the ‘limited area’ SFI actions.
This action is rotational. You can do it on the same area of eligible land each year of your 3- year SFI agreement, or you can move the area each year.
