What the action involves
This action’s aim is that you establish a companion crop. The purpose of this is to do one or more of the following:
- support an IPM approach by acting as a trap crop for pests or by supressing weeds
- provide a habitat for birds and invertebrates, including pollinators and natural crop pest predators
- manage nutrient efficiency
- protect soil and improve its condition
When to do it
You must do this action each year of your 3-year SFI agreement.
If your SFI agreement starts too late for you to complete this action, you can complete it within 12 months of your agreement’s start date.
For example, if you’ve already sown the main arable or horticultural crop before your SFI agreement starts, you can establish the companion crop within the first 12 months of your 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 a companion crop on arable and horticultural land, 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 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 — CIPM3: £55 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 IPM3.
Eligible land type Eligible land use code Compatible land cover Arable crops Arable land Leguminous and nitrogen- Arable land fixing crops Arable land, including temporary grassland FA01 Arable land TG01 Arable land Permanent crops – horticultural TC01 Permanent crops
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.
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.
