What the action involves
This action’s aim is that there’s a grass buffer strip with an intact grass sward throughout the year, without tracks, compacted areas or poaching.
The purpose of this is to:
- protect existing landscape and heritage features
- provide habitat for wildlife
- prevent pollutants, such as sediment and nutrients, from being carried in surface water runoff, if located next to a watercourse
When to do it
You must:
- establish the grass buffer strip during first 12 months of your SFI agreement
- maintain the grass buffer strip in each subsequent year of your 3-year SFI agreement
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 establish and maintain a 4m to 12m grass buffer strip, 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 low input grassland are focused on improving the sustainability of grassland management, by reducing nutrient inputs and intensive livestock management.
There are 2 identical SFI actions, with the same payment rate. One can be done on land outside the Severely Disadvantaged Areas (SDAs) and one can be done on land within the SDAs, below the moorland line.
The actions are:
- LIG1: Manage grassland with very low nutrient inputs (outside SDAs)
- LIG2: Manage grassland with very low nutrient inputs (SDAs)
Managing grassland using very low inputs can:
- provide high-quality forage for livestock
- reduce spending on artificial fertiliser, herbicides and pesticides
- protect soil from erosion
It can also help to provide a range of environmental benefits, such as:
- providing habitat for farmland wildlife
- increasing species of wildflowers, which provide food for pollinators
- reducing the loss of nutrients and pesticides to watercourse and groundwater
- keeping soil healthy and carbon-rich
- improving air quality by reducing ammonia emissions from artificial fertiliser
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 — CIGL3: £235 per hectare per year, over 3 years
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 IGL3.
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. However, this action is normally intended to be done on part of a land parcel as a field corner or block.
This action is static. You must do this action on the same area of eligible land each year of your 3-year SFI agreement. You cannot move the area each year.
