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BFS6: 6m to 12m habitat strip next to watercourses (updated for SFI26)

What you must do to get paid for this SFI26 action and advice on how to do it.

From:
Department for Environment, Food & Rural Affairs and Rural Payments Agency
Published
21 May 2024
Last updated
2 June 2026 — See all updates
Grant type:
Sustainable Farming Incentive
Land type:
Arable and Grassland
Areas of interest:
Integrated pest management, Pollinators, Water quality and Wildlife

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 

£742 per hectare (ha) per year – calculate the hectarage by:  

  • measuring the length of the strip in metres (m)  

  • multiplying that length by the relevant width (6m to 12m) to give the area in m2  

  • dividing that area by 10,000 to convert it into ha  

Action’s aim 

This action’s aim is that, throughout the year, there’s a habitat strip next to a watercourse: 

  • with a mosaic of grassland vegetation and naturally colonised or planted native tree and scrub species, which are near the watercourse (riparian) and have an open canopy  

  • with tussocky grasses allowed to develop  

  • without livestock, tracks or compacted areas  

The purpose of this is to:  

  • reduce soil erosion and nutrient loss  

  • increase water filtration  

  • slow down water runoff  

  • provide shade to the watercourse  

  • provide habitats and food for wildlife 

  • form links between other habitats  

Where you can do this action 

You can do this action on agricultural land next to a watercourse (ditch, river, stream or canal) located below the moorland line that’s: 

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  
Improved permanent grassland Permanent grassland PG01  
Scrub Scrub – ungrazeable  WO25  
Scrub Notional – scrub NF03  

Eligibility of protected land 

Sites of special scientific interest (SSSIs): Eligible – you must: 

Historic and archaeological features: Ineligible – you must not enter any area with 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 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 a habitat strip that: 

  • is at least 6m wide and up to 12m wide (on average in each land parcel) – it can be more than 12m wide, but you’ll only be paid for the 12m width 

  • buffers a ditch, river, stream or canal 

To establish the habitat strip, you must do one or a combination of both of the following: 

  • allow trees and scrub to regenerate naturally 

  • plant a variety of native riparian tree and shrub species 

You can remove soil compaction to prepare land for this action (if needed).  

Once the habitat strip is established, you must manage it in a way that can reasonably be expected to achieve this action’s aim. This includes:  

  • cutting woody growth to create and maintain an open canopy along the bank so there’s dappled shade for the watercourse 

  • controlling the spread of injurious weeds, nettles or invasive non-native species 

  • removing cut material (when you’re cutting) to control woody growth or the spread of injurious weeds, nettles or invasive non-native species 

  • leaving any standing and fallen deadwood in place, if it’s safe to do so 

  • leaving any mature and veteran trees in place, if it’s safe to do so 

You must not do the following on the habitat strip:  

  • allow livestock to access it 

  • use it for regular vehicular access, turning or storage (for example, storing bales or machinery) 

  • apply fertilisers or manures 

  • apply pesticides, except for herbicides to weed wipe or spot treat to control injurious weeds, invasive non-native species, nettles or bracken 

  • create or maintain hard standing, boardwalks or closely mown access routes running parallel to the ditch, river, stream or canal 

In addition, you must not cut or remove vegetation unless you’re doing it to: 

  • control woody growth or the spread of injurious weeds, nettles or invasive non-native species

  • maintain existing access routes that are at an angle of 90 degrees to the watercourse 

  • help establish the habitat strip on previously arable land 

You can maintain an existing habitat strip to get paid for this action if it:  

  • meets this action’s requirements 

  • is not already being paid for under another environmental land management scheme option, such as CS option SW11 (riparian management strip) 

When to do it 

You must:  

  • establish the habitat strip within the first 12 months of this action’s duration 
  • maintain the habitat strip throughout each subsequent year of this action’s 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 

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 evidence to show what you’ve done to complete this action, such as: 

  • field operations at a land parcel level and associated invoices 

  • photographs and 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 OFC1, OFC3, OFM1, OFM4, PRF2  
SFI 2024 actions CIPM1, CNUM1, CSAM1, OFC1, OFC3, OFM1, OFM4, PRF2  
SFI 2023 actions IPM1, NUM1, SAM1  
CSHT actions from 2025 CPAC1, CSP9  
CS options OR1, OT1, SW15, SW16  
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

Published 21 May 2024
Last updated 2 June 2026 show all updates

  1. The following changes have been made to this action for SFI26 (compared with the SFI24 version): • this action now has a 3-year duration – this only applies to SFI26 agreements, not existing 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’

  2. PRF2 removed from SFI 2024 actions.

  3. 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. Eligible land - scrub is an eligible land type. 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. What to do - storing bales or machinery added as an example of ‘storage’. Published voluntary advice to help you do this action, but it's not part of this action’s requirements.

  4. First published.

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