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£765 per hectare (ha) per year
\n\nThis action’s aim is that there’s an in-field grass strip:
\n\non land at risk of soil erosion or surface runoff
\nwith an intact grass sward throughout the year
\nThe purpose of this is to:
\n\nreduce the quantity of sediment, nutrients and pesticides transported through surface runoff water
\nimprove water quality
\nprovide habitats for wildlife
\nsupport an integrated pest management approach if located close to cropped areas
\nYou can do this action on agricultural land located below the moorland line that’s:
\n\nidentified by you as 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 is compatible with the eligible land cover
\n| Eligible land type | \nEligible land cover | \nCompatible land use code | \n\n |
|---|---|---|---|
| Arable land used to grow crops | \nArable land | \nLand use codes for arable crops or leguminous and nitrogen-fixing crops\n | \n\n |
| Temporary grassland | \nArable land | \nTG01 | \n\n |
| Arable land lying fallow | \nArable land | \nFA01 | \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 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 environment 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 static. This means you must do it at the same location each year of this action’s duration.
\n\nYou must establish and maintain an in-field grass strip which has:
\n\nan intact grass sward
\nno evidence of damage from vehicle or stock access routes
\nDuring late summer after the bird breeding season, you must cut the entire strip to encourage a dense sward with a variety of grasses to grow.
\n\nYou must not:
\n\napply fertilisers or manures
\napply pesticides except for herbicides to weed wipe or spot treat to control injurious weeds, invasive non-native species, nettles or bracken
\nallow livestock to access the strip
\nYou can maintain an existing in-field grass strip 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 SW3 (in-field grass strips)
\nYou must:
\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 at risk of soil erosion or surface runoff. You can use a 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.
\n\nYou 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\n |
|---|---|---|
| \nSFI 2026 actions | \nAGF1, AGF2, OFC3, OFC4, OFM4, OFM5, PRF2 | \n\n |
| \nSFI 2024 actions | \nAGF1, AGF2, CIPM1, CNUM1, CSAM1, OFC3, OFC4, OFM4, OFM5, PRF2 | \n\n |
| \nSFI 2023 actions | \nIPM1, NUM1, SAM1 | \n\n |
| \nCSHT actions from 2025 | \nCAGF1, CAGF2, CAGF3, CAGF4, CPAC1, CSP13, CSP14, CSP15, CSP20, CSP21, CSP9, CSW17, CSW19, CWS1, CWS3 | \n\n |
| \nCS options | \nOR3, OR4, OT3, OT4 | \n\n |
| \nES options | \nNo ES revenue options | \n\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\nYou can establish the in-field grass buffer strip by either:
\n\nIf you’re sowing a seed mix, to help the grass buffer strip to establish you can:
\n\nTo help you achieve this action’s aim, you can establish the in-field grass strip on:
\n\nTry to avoid establishing the in-field grass trip on a public right of way. This is because the ground is likely to be compacted which means the strip may not establish as well.
\n\nOnce the grass strip is established, this action requires you to cut the entire strip during late summer. Before you cut the sward, check it for signs of nesting birds. Birds, nests and eggs are protected by law, so if you see signs of nesting birds, delay cutting until the birds have fledged.
\n\nIf possible, remove the cut vegetation. If it’s impractical to do this, you can leave finely chopped cuttings, spread as thinly as possible.
\n\nIf you want to do this type of action on more than around one-third of the area of a field you can consider applying for SFI26 action WBD4 (arable reversion to grassland with low fertiliser input) instead to cover a larger area.
\n\n","change_history":[{"note":"Added 'Advice to help you do this action' section.","public_timestamp":"2026-06-17T11:11:12Z"},{"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\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":"2026-06-02T13:02:51Z"},{"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\nPublished voluntary advice to help you do this action, but it's not part of this action’s requirements. 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