CAHL3: Grassy field corners or blocks
What you must do to get paid for this action and advice on how to do it.
This is an action in the Sustainable Farming Incentive (SFI) scheme: expanded offer for 2024. You must read the SFI scheme information to understand the scheme rules and how to apply.
Duration
3 years
How much you’ll be paid
£590 per hectare (ha) per year
Action’s aim
This action’s aim is that there’s a grassy field corner or block with:
- an intact grass sward throughout the year, without tracks, compacted areas or poaching
- tussocky grass allowed to develop
The purpose of this is to:
- provide year-round habitat for a range of wildlife
- support an integrated pest management approach if located close to cropped areas
Where you can do this action
You can do this action on agricultural land located below the moorland line that’s:
- an eligible land type (read section 5.1 ‘Eligible land types for SFI’)
- registered with an eligible land cover on your digital maps
- declared with a land use code which is compatible with the eligible land cover
This is a ‘limited area’ action. The total eligible area you enter into any combination of one of more of the ‘limited area’ actions must not be more than 25% of the total agricultural area of your farm. Read section 1.3 ‘SFI actions with a limited area’ for more information.
Eligible land
| Eligible land type | Eligible land cover | Compatible land use code |
|---|---|---|
| Arable land used to grow crops | Arable land | Land use codes for arable crops or leguminous and nitrogen-fixing crops |
| Temporary grassland | Arable land | TG01 |
| Arable land lying fallow | Arable land | FA01 |
| Permanent crops – horticultural | Permanent crops | TC01 |
Eligibility of protected land
| Protected land | Eligibility |
|---|---|
| Sites of special scientific interest (SSSIs) | Eligible – you must get SSSI consent before you do this action (read section 5.5 ‘Land that’s a site of special scientific interest (SSSI)’) |
| Historic and archaeological features | Eligible – you must get a HEFER before you do this action (read section 5.6 ‘Land with historic or archaeological features’) |
Available area you can enter into this action
Part of the available area in a land parcel.
Rotational or static action
This action is static. This means you must do it at the same location each year of this action’s duration.
What to do
You must establish and maintain grassy field corners or blocks on arable and horticultural land entered into this action.
To establish the grassy field corners or blocks you must either sow them or allow the areas to naturally regenerate.
During the first 12 months after sowing them, or allowing them to naturally regenerate, you can regularly cut or graze them to:
- control annual weeds
- encourage new grass shoots to develop
The grassy field corners or blocks will usually be established around 12 months after they’re sown or allowed to regenerate naturally.
Once established, you must maintain the grassy field corners or blocks. To do this, you must manage them in a way that can reasonably be expected to achieve this action’s aim.
You must not do the following on the grassy field corners or blocks once they’re established:
- graze them with livestock in a way that means this action’s aim cannot reasonably be achieved
- cut them, except for localised cutting to control injurious weeds or invasive non-natives, soft and hard rush, nettles or bracken
- use them for regular vehicular access, turning or storage
- carry out activities that may disturb breeding birds or damage nests
- apply any fertilisers, manures or lime
- use pesticides, except for herbicides to weed wipe or spot treat to control injurious weeds, invasive non-native species, nettles or bracken
You can maintain existing grassy field corners or blocks to get paid for this action, if they meet this action’s requirements.
When to do it
You must:
- establish the grassy field corners or blocks within 12 months of this action’s start date
- maintain the same area of grassy field corners or blocks in each subsequent year of this action’s 3-year duration
How to do it
It’s up to you how you do this action, as long as you:
- follow this action’s requirements – these are identified by a ‘must’
- do the action in a way that could reasonably be expected to achieve this action’s aim
Advice to help you do this action will be published before applications are fully launched from summer 2024. It will not be part of this action’s requirements.
Evidence to keep
You must keep evidence to show what you’ve done to complete this action, such as:
- field operations at a land parcel level and associated invoices
- photographs or other documentation
If it’s not clear that you’ve done this action in a way that could reasonably be expected to achieve its aim, we may ask for this evidence. You must supply the evidence if we ask for it.
Other actions or options you can do with this action
You can do the following actions or options on the same area in a land parcel as this action. Some actions or options can only be done on the same area if they’re done at a different time of year to this action. For example, winter cover followed by a summer companion crop. Read ‘What to do’ and ‘When to do it’ to find out when this action must be done.
| Scheme | Action or option codes |
|---|---|
| SFI 2024 actions | OFC3, OFC4, OFC5, OFM4 OFM5, OFM6, AGF1, AGF2, PRF2, CIPM1, CNUM1, CSAM1 |
| SFI 2023 actions | IPM1, NUM1, SAM1 |
| CS options | OR3, OR4, OR5, OT3, OT4, OT5 |
| ES options | No ES revenue options |
| SFI pilot standards | No area-based SFI pilot standards |
If an action or option cannot be located on the same area, you may be able to do it on a different area in the same land parcel. Read section 6 ‘Eligible land in other funding schemes’ for more information.
You can do the following actions or options on the eligible boundaries of a land parcel entered into this action:
- SFI 2024 actions: CHRW1, CHRW2, CHRW3, BND1, BND2 and WBD2
- SFI 2023 actions: HRW1, HRW2, HRW3
- CS option BE3 (management of hedgerows)
- the introductory level of the SFI pilot hedgerows standard