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£515 per hectare (ha) per year
\n\nThis action’s aim is that there’s improved grassland, which is maintained so it’s left to go to seed during the autumn and winter months.
\n\nThe purpose of this is to provide winter food for farmland birds.
\n\nYou can do this action on agricultural land located below the moorland line that’s:
\n\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 is compatible with the eligible land cover
\n| Eligible land type | \nEligible land cover | \nCompatible land use code | \n
|---|---|---|
| Temporary grassland | \nArable land | \nTG01 | \n
| Improved permanent grassland | \nPermanent grassland | \nPG01 | \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 the ‘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) can 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 action is rotational or static. This means you can either:
\n\nmove its location for the second and third years of this action’s duration
\ndo it at the same location each year of this action’s duration
\nYou must maintain improved grassland entered into this action.
\n\nTo maintain the improved grassland, you must manage it in a way that can reasonably be expected to achieve this action’s aim. This includes:
\n\ncutting it for silage or hay in a way that allows it to go to seed
\nleaving it un-grazed after the final cut for silage and hay
\nIf you’re already maintaining improved grassland, you can use it to get paid for this action if it:
\n\nmeets this action’s requirements
\nis not already being paid for under another environmental land management scheme option, such as CS option GS3 (ryegrass seed-set as winter food for birds)
\nIf you’re doing this action on the same area of land for its 3-year duration, you must:
\n\nstart maintaining the improved grassland within 12 months of this action’s start date
\ncontinue to maintain the area of improved grassland in each subsequent year of this action’s duration
\nIf you’re rotating this action around your farm, each year of this action’s duration you must do the actions for a period of time that can reasonably be expected to achieve this action’s aim.
\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 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 or 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, OFC1, OFC3, OFM1, OFM4, PRF1, PRF2, SOH1 | \n
| \nSFI 2024 actions | \nAGF1, AGF2, CIPM1, CNUM1, CSAM1, OFC1, OFC3, OFM1, OFM4, PRF1, PRF2, SOH1 | \n
| \nSFI 2023 actions | \nIPM1, NUM1, SAM1 | \n
| \nCSHT actions from 2025 | \nCAGF1, CAGF2, CAGF3, CAGF4, CHS3, CHS9, CSP13, CSP14, CSP15, CSP20, CSP21, CSP9, CWS1, CWS3 | \n
| \nCS options | \nHS3, HS9, OR1, OR3, OT1, 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\nTo maintain the improved grassland, this action requires you to manage it in a way that could reasonably be expected to achieve this action’s aim. This includes:
\n\nTo provide winter bird food, it will help if you use sits with a high cover (for example, at least 50% of the area) of perennial, Italian or hybrid ryegrass.
\n\nIt will benefit more birds if you have a number of winter bird food areas spaced as evenly as possible across your land. For example, you could space 5 blocks of, for example, at least 0.5 hectares (ha) across 100ha.
\n\nYou can use a range of locations to provide winter bird food for a wider range of bird species. For example:
\n\nIf you’re using field edge strips, it’ll usually help if those are at least 10 metres (m) wide and located away from busy roads.
\n\nLeaving the improved grassland uncut and un-grazed in the summer will help to produce adequate seed during the autumn and winter months.
\n\nThe timing of when to do this will depend on which ryegrass species dominates the sward. You can usually cut and graze:
\n\nOnce cutting or grazing has stopped, try to minimise access by people, animals and vehicles. This will help to avoid the grass being trampled and producing a grass mat, which can make it difficult for the birds to access the seeds.
\n\nIf you’re leaving the ryegrass in place, you can improve next year’s yield by either:
\n\nYou can also continue to use fertiliser (where necessary) to help produce a good growth of grass.
\n\n","change_history":[{"note":"Added 'Advice to help you do this action' section.","public_timestamp":"2026-06-17T11:28:00Z"},{"note":"The following changes have been made to this action for SFI26 (compared with the SFI24 version):\r\n\r\n•\tyou can now enter total or part of the available area in a land parcel into this action – this only applies to SFI26 agreements, not existing SFI23 or SFI24 agreements\r\n•\tminor updates to standard wording which appears in all area-based SFI actions – see ‘Eligibility of protected land’ and ‘Available area you can enter into this action’ \r\n","public_timestamp":"2026-06-02T13:08:49Z"},{"note":"Where you can do this action - an eligible land type is defined in section 5.1 ‘Eligible land types for SFI’ in the SFI scheme information. \r\nEligibility of protected land - updated link to section 10.3 ‘SSSI consent’ in the SFI scheme information. \r\nOther actions or options you can do on the same area - SOH1 added to SFI 2024 actions. \r\nPublished voluntary advice to help you do this action, but it's not part of this action’s requirements. ","public_timestamp":"2024-07-30T16:08:58Z"},{"note":"First published.","public_timestamp":"2024-05-21T10:40:44Z"}],"headers":[{"id":"duration","level":2,"text":"Duration "},{"id":"how-much-youll-be-paid","level":2,"text":"How much you’ll be paid "},{"id":"actions-aim","level":2,"text":"Action’s aim "},{"headers":[{"id":"eligible-land","level":3,"text":"Eligible land"},{"id":"limited-area-action","level":3,"text":"25% limited area action"},{"id":"eligibility-of-protected-land","level":3,"text":"Eligibility of protected land"},{"id":"available-area-you-can-enter-into-this-action","level":3,"text":"Available area you can enter into this action"},{"id":"rotational-or-static-action","level":3,"text":"Rotational or static action"}],"id":"where-you-can-do-this-action","level":2,"text":"Where you can do this action"},{"id":"what-to-do","level":2,"text":"What to do "},{"id":"when-to-do-it","level":2,"text":"When to do it"},{"id":"how-to-do-it","level":2,"text":"How to do it "},{"id":"evidence-to-keep","level":2,"text":"Evidence to keep "},{"id":"other-actions-or-options-you-can-do-with-this-action","level":2,"text":"Other actions or options you can do with this action "},{"headers":[{"id":"maintaining-improved-grassland-to-provide-winter-bird-food","level":3,"text":"Maintaining improved grassland to provide winter bird food"},{"id":"where-to-locate-the-winter-bird-food","level":3,"text":"Where to locate the winter bird food"},{"id":"managing-improved-grassland-to-provide-winter-bird-food","level":3,"text":"Managing improved grassland to provide winter bird food"}],"id":"advice-to-help-you-do-this-action","level":2,"text":"Advice to help you do this action"}],"max_cache_time":10,"metadata":{"areas_of_interest":["pollinators-and-wildlife","wildlife"],"farming_grant_type":"sustainable-farming-incentive","land_types":["grassland"]},"temporary_update_type":false},"document_type":"farming_grant","first_published_at":"2024-05-21T11:40:44+01:00","links":{"available_translations":[{"api_path":"/api/content/find-funding-for-land-or-farms/cigl2-winter-bird-food-on-improved-grassland","api_url":"https://www.gov.uk/api/content/find-funding-for-land-or-farms/cigl2-winter-bird-food-on-improved-grassland","base_path":"/find-funding-for-land-or-farms/cigl2-winter-bird-food-on-improved-grassland","content_id":"b6b0e87f-ab32-4e97-ba04-d9ff91d619c8","document_type":"farming_grant","links":{},"locale":"en","public_updated_at":"2026-06-17T11:28:00Z","schema_name":"specialist_document","title":"CIGL2: Winter bird food on improved grassland (updated for SFI26)","web_url":"https://www.gov.uk/find-funding-for-land-or-farms/cigl2-winter-bird-food-on-improved-grassland","withdrawn":false}],"finder":[{"api_path":"/api/content/find-funding-for-land-or-farms","api_url":"https://www.gov.uk/api/content/find-funding-for-land-or-farms","base_path":"/find-funding-for-land-or-farms","content_id":"23ad50d7-916c-456b-b3de-4b27739d5be1","details":{"facets":[{"allowed_values":[{"label":"Countryside Stewardship Higher Tier","value":"countryside-stewardship-higher-tier"},{"label":"Sustainable Farming Incentive","value":"sustainable-farming-incentive"}],"display_as_result_metadata":true,"filterable":true,"key":"farming_grant_type","name":"Grant type","preposition":"of type","type":"text"},{"allowed_values":[{"label":"Arable","value":"arable"},{"label":"Coastal","value":"coastal"},{"label":"Farmyard","value":"farmyard"},{"label":"Grassland","value":"grassland"},{"label":"Lowland heath","value":"lowland-heath"},{"label":"Moorland and upland","value":"moorland-and-upland"},{"label":"Scrub","value":"scrub"},{"label":"Waterbodies","value":"waterbodies"},{"label":"Wetland","value":"wetland"},{"label":"Woodland and forest","value":"woodland"},{"label":"Wood pasture","value":"wood-pasture"}],"display_as_result_metadata":true,"filterable":true,"key":"land_types","name":"Land type","preposition":"for","type":"text"},{"allowed_values":[{"label":"Access","value":"access"},{"label":"Agroforestry","value":"agroforestry"},{"label":"Biodiversity","value":"biodiversity"},{"label":"Buffer strips","value":"buffer-strips"},{"label":"Field boundaries","value":"boundaries"},{"label":"Flood prevention","value":"flood-risk"},{"label":"Historic and archaeological features","value":"historic-and-archaeological-features"},{"label":"Horticulture","value":"horticulture"},{"label":"Integrated pest management","value":"integrated-pest-management"},{"label":"Livestock management","value":"livestock-management"},{"label":"Nutrient management","value":"nutrient-management"},{"label":"Orchards","value":"orchards"},{"label":"Organic","value":"organic"},{"label":"Peat","value":"peat"},{"label":"Pollinators","value":"pollinators-and-wildlife"},{"label":"Precision farming, equipment and machinery","value":"precision-farming"},{"label":"Soil health","value":"soil"},{"label":"Species recovery and management","value":"species-recovery-and-management"},{"label":"Trees","value":"trees"},{"label":"Vegetation control","value":"vegetation-control"},{"label":"Water availability and storage","value":"water-availability-and-storage"},{"label":"Water quality","value":"water-quality"},{"label":"Wildlife","value":"wildlife"}],"display_as_result_metadata":true,"filterable":true,"key":"areas_of_interest","name":"Areas of interest","preposition":"with","type":"text"}],"index_documents_in_search_engines":true,"show_metadata_block":true,"show_table_of_contents":true},"document_type":"finder","links":{},"locale":"en","public_updated_at":"2026-05-21T10:39:47Z","schema_name":"finder","title":"Find funding for land or farms","web_url":"https://www.gov.uk/find-funding-for-land-or-farms","withdrawn":false}],"organisations":[{"analytics_identifier":"D7","api_path":"/api/content/government/organisations/department-for-environment-food-rural-affairs","api_url":"https://www.gov.uk/api/content/government/organisations/department-for-environment-food-rural-affairs","base_path":"/government/organisations/department-for-environment-food-rural-affairs","content_id":"de4e9dc6-cca4-43af-a594-682023b84d6c","details":{"acronym":"Defra","brand":"department-for-environment-food-rural-affairs","default_news_image":{"high_resolution_url":"https://assets.publishing.service.gov.uk/media/5a37dad140f0b649cceb1813/s960_defra-sign-grey.jpg","url":"https://assets.publishing.service.gov.uk/media/5a37dad1ed915d5a62fdc6d6/s300_defra-sign-grey.jpg"},"logo":{"crest":"single-identity","formatted_title":"Department