GovWire

This section contains the mandatory requirements for the SFI (Sustainable Farming Incentive) actions for farmland wildlife on arable and horticultural land. These requirements are part of your SFI agreement.

You can choose which SFI actions to do and what area of eligible land to do them on. There are no mandatory combinations of actions and no minimum or maximum areas.

What we explain in each SFI action

The details of each SFI action explain:

• the actions aim

• where you can do the action - this includes what land is eligible, whether its a rotational or static action, and which other environmental land management actions or options you can do on the same area within a land parcel (noting that it may also be possible to do part-parcel actions on another area within the same land parcel)

• what you need to do for the action

• when to do the action

• how to do the action which is up to you, as long as its done in a way that could reasonably be expected to achieve the actions aim

• what evidence to keep

Rotational SFI actions

If you choose a rotational SFI action, youll tell us the area and location of that action for the first year of your SFI agreement in your application.

It will be possible for you to vary the coverage of rotational actions, so they work with your crop rotation and different sizes of land parcels. This means that in the second and third years of your agreement, youll be able to do the action on:

• a larger area than you entered into the action for the first year of your SFI agreement

• a lower area, as long as its at least 50% of the area you entered into the action for the first year of your agreement for example, if you enter 10ha into a rotational action for the first year, you can decrease that area to 5ha for the second year and then either keep it as 5ha for the third year or increase it again.

Well let you know how to tell us about a change to the area and location of rotational actions for the second and third agreement years.

Overview of the SFI actions for farmland wildlife on arable and horticultural land

The SFI actions for farmland wildlife on arable and horticultural land are focused on providing habitat and food sources for farmland birds, pollinators and a range of other farmland wildlife.

They can also support an Integrated Pest Management (IPM) approach if theyre done close to cropped areas, which can help to reduce costs and improve farm resilience.

The actions include:

• AHL1: Pollen and nectar flower mix
• AHL2: Winter bird food on arable and horticultural land
• AHL3: Grassy field corners and blocks

AHL1: Pollen and nectar flower mix

What youll be paid

Youll receive 614 per hectare per year.

This actions aim

This actions aim is that theres a pollen and nectar flower mix which produces areas of flowering plants from late spring and during the summer months.

The purpose of this is to:

• provide food for beneficial pollinators, such as bumble bees, solitary bees, butterflies and hoverflies
• encourage natural crop pest predators as part of an IPM approach if located close to cropped areas

Where you can do this action

You can do this action on eligible agricultural land located below the moorland line. The table below sets out what land is eligible for AHL1.

Eligible land for AHL1

The glossary 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 thats eligible for the SFI actions.

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 this action on the same area of eligible land for the duration of your 3-year SFI agreement, or you can move the area each year.

Other land management actions or options you can do on the same area as AHL1

The table below sets out which other SFI actions, Countryside Stewardship (CS) management options, Environmental Stewardship (ES) revenue options and SFI pilot standards can be located on the same area of eligible land as NUM2.

Actions or options that can be located on the same area as AHL1

Use the CS grant finder to search for the CS option codes shown above.

The SFI actions for hedgerows (HRW1, HRW2 and HRW3), CS option BE3 and the introductory level of the SFI pilot hedgerows can be done on the eligible boundaries of a land parcel entered into AHL1.

If an action or option cannot be located on the same area within a land parcel as AHL1, this is because its not an eligible land type, or the activities are incompatible, or you would be paid twice for doing the same activities on the same land. In this case, that area will be automatically removed from the affected land parcels SFI available area in your SFI application.

If this is the case, you may be able to do the action on a different area in the same land parcel if:

• its an eligible land type for the action or option
• its a part-parcel action or option
• the area used for the action or option does not overlap with the area used for AHL1

Read the information about 