This is a Sustainable Farming Incentive 2026 (SFI26) action. Read the SFI26 scheme information to understand what you’re required to do under an SFI26 agreement and how to apply.
\n\nSelect ‘See all updates’ at the start of this page to find out how this action has changed for SFI26 compared with SFI24.
\n\nFor SFI24 actions, read the SFI24 agreement holder’s information.
\n3 years
\n\n£589 per hectare (ha) per year
\n\nThis action’s aim is that there’s a post-harvest stubble remaining during the autumn, winter, spring and summer months.
\n\nThe purpose of this is to provide:
\n\na winter food source for seed-eating farmland birds
\nspring and summer foraging and nesting habitats for other farmland birds, and habitats for other farmland wildlife
\nYou can do this action on agricultural land located below the moorland line that’s:
\n\nidentified by you as not being at risk of soil erosion or surface runoff – you must keep evidence of this
\nan eligible land type (as defined in section 5.1.1 ‘Eligible land types’ in the SFI26 scheme information)
\nregistered with an eligible land cover on your digital maps
\ndeclared with a land use code which compatible with the eligible land cover
\n| Eligible land type | \nEligible land cover | \nCompatible land use code | \n
|---|---|---|
| Arable land used to grow cereals (not maize or sorghum), oilseed rape or linseed | \nArable land | \nLand use codes for arable crops\n | \n
This is a ‘limited area’ action. The total eligible area you enter into any combination of one or more of the ‘limited area’ actions must not be more than 25% of the total agricultural area of your farm. Read section 4.5 ‘Limited area SFI actions’ in the SFI26 scheme information for more details (including a list of ‘limited area’ actions).
\n\nSites of special scientific interest (SSSIs): Eligible – you must:
\n\ngive notice to Natural England to get SSSI consent before the Rural Payments Agency (RPA) offer you an SFI26 agreement
\nhave received SSSI consent from Natural England before you do this action (read section 10.1 ‘SSSI consent’ in the SFI26 scheme information for more details)
\nHistoric and archaeological features: Eligible – you must get an SFI HEFER before you do this action (read section 5.3 ‘Land with historic or archaeological features’ in the SFI26 scheme information to find out how to do this).
\n\nTotal or part of the available area in a land parcel. It’s your responsibility to check that the area you enter is eligible for this action.
\n\nYou must do this action on the area entered into your SFI26 agreement. If something happens which means you cannot complete this action on some or all of the area, you must tell the RPA in writing as soon as possible. Read section 12.2 ‘What to do if you cannot comply with your agreement’ in the SFI26 scheme information to find out how to do this.
\n\nThis is a rotational action – this means you must move its location within your crop rotation for the second and third years of this action’s duration.
\n\nAfter harvest, you must leave the stubble from a cereal crop, oilseed rape or linseed until around mid-summer in the following year.
\n\nYou must not apply pre-harvest desiccants to the cereal crop, oilseed rape or linseed.
\n\nYou must not do the following on the stubble area:
\n\ntop or graze it
\napply any pesticides, except herbicides to control grass weeds by spraying the affected area from around mid-May
\napply any fertilisers, manures or lime
\nYou must do this action each year of its 3-year duration.
\n\nIf this action’s start date means it’s too late for you to do this action, you must start doing it within 12 months of the action’s start date.
\n\nIn the final year of this action’s duration, you must do the action until around mid-summer or this action’s end date, whichever is earlier.
\n\nIt’s up to you how you do this action, as long as you:
\n\nfollow this action’s requirements – these are identified by a ‘must’
\ndo the action in a way that could reasonably be expected to achieve this action’s aim
\nYou may find it helpful to read the ‘advice to help you do this action’, but it’s not part of this action’s requirements.
\n\nYou must keep written evidence that land entered into this action is not at risk of soil erosion or surface runoff. You can use the soil management plan you’ve already produced for SFI24 action CSAM1 or SFI23 action SAM1 to identify this.
\n\nYou must also keep evidence to show what you’ve done to complete this action, such as:
\n\nfield operations at a land parcel level and associated invoices
\nphotographs and other documentation
\nIf 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.
\n\nYou can do the following actions or options on the same area in a land parcel as this action.
\n\n| Scheme | \nAction or option codes | \n
|---|---|
| \nSFI 2026 actions | \nAGF1, AGF2, AHW5, CIPM4, OFC3, OFM4, PRF1, PRF2, PRF4, SOH1 | \n
| \nSFI 2024 actions | \nAGF1, AGF2, AHW5, CIPM1, CIPM4, CNUM1, CSAM1, OFC3, OFM4, PRF1, PRF2, PRF3, PRF4, SOH1 | \n
| \nSFI 2023 actions | \nIPM1, NUM1, SAM1 | \n
| \nCSHT actions from 2025 | \nCAB5, CAGF1, CAGF2, CAGF3, CAGF4, CSP13, CSP14, CSP15, CSP20, CSP21, CSP9, CWS1, CWS3 | \n
| \nCS options | \nAB11, AB14, AB15, AB5, HS3, OR3, OT3 | \n
| \nES options | \nNo ES revenue options | \n
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 5.6 ‘Land that’s already in other funding schemes or grants’ in the SFI26 scheme information for more details.
\n\nYou can do the following actions or options on the eligible boundaries of a land parcel entered into this action:
\n\nThe following advice may help you to do this action, but it’s not part of this action’s requirements.
\n\nWhen you establish the cereal crop, oilseed rape or linseed, by law you cannot cultivate or apply fertilisers or pesticides to land within 2 metres (m) of the centre of a hedgerow. Read the guidance on Hedgerow management rules; buffer strips to understand how these rules apply to you.
\n\nEnhanced overwinter stubbles are suitable for most soil types. On heavier soils, you can use this action to help control moderate to high populations of grass weeds (such as black-grass).
\n\nThe best stubbles are usually produced by:
\n\nYou can leave the unmanaged stubbles across a whole field or a strip, if the land has been identified by you as not being at risk of soil erosion or surface runoff.
\n\nYou can have several areas of stubbles spread across your farm to link non-crop habitats (such as hedgerows, ponds and field margins). This can help wildlife to move between these habitats, especially in large fields (for example, over 20 hectares (ha)).
\n\nIt will help if you locate the overwinter stubbles in fields which have:
\n\nIt’s usually best to locate strips of overwinter stubbles along south-facing boundaries. This will allow more beneficial weeds to grow, so more seeds are produced for birds to eat.
\n\nYou can cultivate the stubbles area in March to help:
\n\nTo help to increase the environmental benefits provided by the overwinter stubbles, you can establish them:
\n\nYou can sow a diverse mix of fast-growing crops into your stubbles before you harvest the crop (by undersowing a companion crop) or after harvest (to establish a cover crop).
\n\nThis can help to provide:
\n\nThe crop mix could include:
\n\nTo secure the right balance between outcomes for soil health, water quality and wildlife, it’s best to:
\n\nIn fields known to support nesting farmland birds such as lapwing, it’s best to:
\n\nOther ways to enhance stubbles for farm wildlife include:
\n\n