What the action involves
This action’s aim is that you understand how your moorland contributes to providing environmental benefits and how it could provide more in the future.
When to do it
Within the first 12 months of your SFI agreement you must:
- survey and record the required information for one sample point in each 10ha block of the moorland
- use the information from the survey to assess and record the environmental benefits the moorland already provides
- use this information to produce a record of opportunities to maintain or enhance the moorland to keep providing environmental benefits or provide more
In each subsequent year of your SFI agreement, you must:
- repeat the survey at a different sample point within each 10ha block, trying to do this at about the same time each year
- use the further surveys to review your record of the environmental benefits the moorland already provides
- review your record of the opportunities to maintain, enhance or restore the moorland to keep providing environmental benefits or provide more
How to do it It’s up to you how you complete this action, as long as you do it in a way that could reasonably be expected to achieve this action’s aim.
You may find it helpful to read the voluntary guidance on how to assess moorland and produce a written record, but you do not have to follow it.
What evidence to keep You must keep a written record of your:
- survey of the moorland
- assessment of the environmental benefits the moorland is already providing
- assessment of opportunities to maintain, enhance or restore the moorland to keep providing environmental benefits or provide more
You must supply this evidence when we ask for it.
The SFI actions for hedgerows are focused on improving their management to provide well- developed hedgerows and hedgerow trees.
These actions include:
- HRW1: Assess and record hedgerow condition
- HRW2: Manage hedgerows
- HRW3: Maintain or establish hedgerow trees
These actions should help to:
- maintain and strengthen the contribution of hedges to landscape character
- provide shelter and nesting cover, as well as flower and berry food resources for insects, birds and mammals
- increase resilience to climate change and contribute to improving local air quality
- provide shelter from wind and the elements for livestock and crops, which can help improve productivity
- form part of an IPM approach
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.
- SFI 2024 — CMOR1: £10.60 per hectare (ha) per year and £272 per SFI agreement per year, over 3 years
Where you can do it
You can do this action on eligible land located above the moorland line. You can check MAGIC to find out if your land is above the moorland line.
The table below sets out what land is eligible for MOR1.
Eligible land type Eligible land use code Compatible land cover Moorland PG01 Permanent grassland Non-agricultural areas, such as Non-agricultural Other (non-agricultural) scrub, scree, bracken and bog
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 only apply for this action on the total SFI available area in each land parcel shown in your SFI application. You cannot apply for it on part of that area.
This action is static. You must do it on the same area of eligible land each year of your 3- year SFI agreement. You cannot move the area around each year.
You cannot enter land above the moorland line into this action if it’s:
- farmyards
- used for turf or peat production
You also cannot enter a land parcel into this action if the majority of its area is located below the moorland line or it’s permanent grassland below the moorland line.
