AHW5: Nesting plots for lapwing (updated for SFI26)
What you must do to get paid for this SFI26 action and advice on how to do it.
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.
Select ‘See all updates’ at the start of this page to find out how this action has changed for SFI26 compared with SFI24.
Duration
3 years
How much you’ll be paid
£765 per hectare (ha) per year
Action’s aim
This action’s aim is that there are fallow cultivated plots within an arable crop which:
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have enough bare ground for nesting lapwings
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are present from early spring until the arable crop is harvested in the summer
The purpose of this is to provide:
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nesting sites for lapwing
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habitats for other declining farmland birds, farmland wildlife and important arable plants
Where you can do this action
You can do this action on agricultural land located below the moorland line that’s:
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identified by you as not being at risk of soil erosion or surface runoff – you must keep evidence of this
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an eligible land type (as defined in section 5.1.1 ‘Eligible land types’ in the SFI26 scheme information)
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registered with an eligible land cover on your digital maps
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declared with a land use code which is compatible with the eligible land cover
You must not do this action on land that’s within around:
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100 metres (m) of woods, in-field and hedgerow trees, buildings, overhead power lines, main road and public rights of way
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200m of wind turbines
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 |
Eligibility of protected land
Sites of special scientific interest (SSSIs): Eligible – you must:
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give notice to Natural England to get SSSI consent before the Rural Payments Agency (RPA) offer you an SFI26 agreement
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have 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)
Historic and archaeological features: Ineligible – you must not enter any area that contains an historic or archaeological feature into this action. This only affects the area where the feature is located in a land parcel. You can apply for this action on the remaining area in the land parcel if it’s eligible.
Available area you can enter into this action
Total 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.
You 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.
Rotational or static action
This action is rotational or static. This means you can either:
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move its location for the second and third years of this action’s duration
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do it at the same location each year of this action’s duration
What to do
By early spring, you must establish a fallow cultivated plot within the arable crop.
You must manage the fallow cultivated plot in a way that can reasonably be expected to achieve this action’s aim. This includes managing natural regeneration if it means there is not enough bare ground for nesting birds.
You must retain the fallow cultivated plot until the arable crop is harvested in the summer and the bird nesting season is complete (usually this will be late July).
You can maintain an existing lapwing plot to get paid for this action if it:
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meets this action’s requirements
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is not already being paid for under another environmental land management scheme option, such as Countryside Stewardship option AB5 (lapwing plots)
When to do it
You must do this action each year of its 3-year duration.
If this action’s start date means it’s too late to establish the lapwing plot, you must do this within 12 months of this action’s start date.
In the final year of this action’s duration, you must do this action until the arable crop is harvested in the summer or this action’s end date, whichever is earlier.
How to do it
It’s up to you how you do this action, as long as you:
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follow this action’s requirements – these are identified by a ‘must’
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do the action in a way that could reasonably be expected to achieve this action’s aim
We’ll publish advice to help you do this action, but it’s not part of this action’s requirements.
Evidence to keep
You 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.
You must also keep evidence to show what you’ve done to complete this action, such as:
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field operations at a land parcel level and associated invoices
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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 on the same area as this action
You can do the following actions or options on the same area in a land parcel as this action.
| Scheme | Action or option codes |
|---|---|
| SFI 2026 actions | AHW6, AHW7, CSAM2, OFC3, OFC4, OFM4, OFM5, PRF1, PRF2, PRF4, SOH1 |
| SFI 2024 actions | AHW6, AHW7, CIPM1, CNUM1, CSAM1, CSAM2, OFC3, OFC4, OFM4, OFM5, PRF1, PRF2, PRF4, SOH1 |
| SFI 2023 actions | IPM1, IPM4, NUM1, SAM1 |
| CSHT actions from 2025 | CAB2, CAB6, CSP13, CSP14, CSP15, CSP20, CSP21, CSP9, CWS1, CWS3 |
| CS options | AB11, AB14, AB15, AB2, AB6, HS3, HS9, OR3, OR4, OT3, OT4 |
| ES options | No ES revenue options |
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.
You can do the following actions or options on the eligible boundaries of a land parcel entered into this action:
- SFI 2026 actions: CHRW2, BND1, BND2 and WBD2
- SFI 2024 actions: CHRW1, CHRW2, CHRW3, BND1, BND2 and WBD2
- SFI 2023 actions: HRW1, HRW2, HRW3
- CSHT actions: CHRW4
- CS options: BE3 (management of hedgerows)
Updates to this page
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The following changes have been made to this action for SFI26 (compared with the SFI24 version): • you 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 and SFI24 agreements • minor 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’
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AHW10, AHW11 and CIPM4 removed from SFI 2024 actions.
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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. Eligibility of protected land - updated link to section 10.3 ‘SSSI consent’ in the SFI scheme information. You can apply for this action on the area in a land parcel that does not contain an historic or archaeological feature. Published voluntary advice to help you do this action, but it's not part of this action’s requirements.
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First published.