Skip to main content

CAHL4: 4m to 12m grass buffer strip on arable and horticultural land (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
Areas of interest:
Buffer strips, Flood prevention, Horticulture, 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 

£515 per hectare (ha) per year – calculate the hectarage by: 

  • measuring the length of the buffer 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 there’s a grass buffer strip: 

  • with an intact grass sward throughout the year 

  • without tracks, compacted areas or poaching 

The purpose of this is to: 

  • protect existing landscape and heritage features 

  • provide habitat for wildlife 

  • prevent pollutants, such as sediment and nutrients, from being carried in surface water runoff, if located next to a watercourse 

  • support an integrated pest management approach, if located close to cropped areas, which can help to reduce costs and improve farm resilience 

Where you can do this action 

You can do this action on agricultural land located below the moorland line that’s: 

You can also do this action on eligible land that’s in a flood risk area. This can include land which may have flood risk management works carried out on it by a flood risk management authority, such as Internal Drainage Boards. 

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  
Permanent crops – horticultural Permanent crops TC01  

Eligibility of protected land 

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

Historic 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). 

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 grass strip on land entered into this action that’s: 

  • at least 4m 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. 

  • on the edge of arable and horticultural land 

The grass strip must buffer an existing landscape feature, or certain heritage features, such as: 

  • hedgerows 

  • stone walls 

  • woodland 

  • ditches, rivers and streams 

  • upstanding historic and archaeological features, such as earthworks, in-field structures or buildings 

You can also locate the grass buffer strip next to: 

  • trackways that channel run-off water directly into a watercourse 

  • fence lines that form links between areas of wildlife habitat 

You must make sure the grass strip is in addition to any regulatory requirements relating to buffer strips. 

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

During late summer, after the bird breeding season, you must cut part of the grass strip’s width next to the edge of the crop or fallow land. You must do this along as much of the strip’s length as possible. This is to provide some shorter vegetation and a range of habitat types. 

Flood risk management authorities, such as Internal Drainage Boards, may carry out flood risk management works on the grass buffer strip if it’s located in a flood risk area. If this happens, you must repair any damage to the grass buffer strip as soon as reasonably practicable. 

You must not do any of the following on the grass buffer strip once it’s established: 

  • 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 

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

  • meet this action’s requirements 

  • are not already being paid for under another environmental land management scheme option, such as CS option SW1 (4m to 6m buffer strip on cultivated land) 

When to do it 

You must: 

  • establish the grass buffer strip within the first 12 months of this action’s duration 
  • maintain the same area of grass buffer strip in 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 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 AGF1, AGF2, OFC3, OFC4, OFC5, OFM4, OFM5, OFM6, PRF2  
SFI 2024 actions AGF1, AGF2, CIPM1, CNUM1, CSAM1, OFC3, OFC4, OFC5, OFM4, OFM5, OFM6, PRF2  
SFI 2023 actions IPM1, NUM1, SAM1  
CSHT actions from 2025 CAGF1, CAGF2, CAGF3, CAGF4, CPAC1, CSP13, CSP14, CSP15, CSP20, CSP21, CSP9, CSW17, CSW19, CWS1, CWS3  
CS options OR3, OR4, OR5, OT3, OT4, OT5  
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): • you can now do this action on eligible land that’s in a flood risk area (see ‘Where you can do this action’) and there’s updated wording to cover if a flood risk management authority carries out flood risk management works on that land (see ‘What to do’) – 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’

  2. Added detail to explain how Hedgerow Regulations may affect how a farmer does an action, and signpost to detailed guidance on the Management of Hedgerows Regulations.

  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. Eligibility of protected land - updated link to section 10.3 ‘SSSI consent’ in the SFI scheme information. 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.

Contents