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
17 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. 

For SFI24 actions, read the SFI24 agreement holder’s information.

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 

You may find it helpful to read the ‘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)   

Advice to help you do this action

The following advice may help you to do this action, but it’s not part of this action’s requirements.

How and where to establish the grass buffer strip

You can establish the grass buffer strip by either:

  • sowing a seed mix
  • using natural regeneration

This action explains:

  • which landscape features the grass strip is required to buffer (under ‘What to do’)
  • that the 4m to 12m wide grass strip must be in addition to any regulatory requirements relating to buffer strips

You are required by law to have 2m buffer strips next to hedgerows. This means you need to establish the 4m to 12m wide grass strip at least 2m from the centre of a hedgerow. Read the guidance on Hedgerow management rules: buffer strips to understand how these rules apply to you.

Sowing a seed mix

Sowing a seed mix can establish the grass buffer more quickly, which can reduce the risk of soil erosion.

You can choose a seed mix that contains native grass species, such as:

  • timothy
  • cocksfoot
  • crested dog’s tail
  • red fescue
  • smooth-stalked meadow grass

It can help the seeds to germinate if they’re sown into a seedbed that’s:

  • firm, consolidated, fine, level and weed free
  • moist, which will usually be the case in the autumn – you can sow in the spring, but you may need to increase the sowing rate, depending on weather and soil type

You can either:

  • broadcast the seeds onto the surface of the seedbed to help germination
  • shallow-drill the seeds up to a depth of 1 centimetre (cm). Small seeds may struggle to germinate when sown deeper than 1cm

If the soil is dry enough, rolling after you have sown the seeds can:

  • improve seed-to-soil contact
  • keep moisture
  • reduce the risk of slug damage

Your seed supplier can:

  • help you choose a seed mix that’s the best match for your land and local conditions
  • advise you on an overall sowing rate for the seed mix you choose

Using natural regeneration

Using natural regeneration means the grasses in the buffer strip are local to your area. It can take longer to establish the buffer strip, but it may cost less.

To encourage the seeds that are already in the soil to germinate, you can cultivate the soil between spring and late summer.

Maintaining the established grass buffer strip

Once the grass buffer strip is established, this action requires you to maintain it by managing it in a way that can reasonably be expected to achieve this action’s aim.

Cutting part of the grass buffer strip’s width

This action requires you to cut part of the grass strip’s width next to the edge of the crop or fallow land during late summer (after the bird breeding season).

It’s up to you how much of the buffer strip’s width you cut. Cutting up to half of the width from the edge of the crop or fallow land can help to provide:

  • short grass for birds to forage in (such as grey partridge chicks)
  • mid-length grass for species like brown hares
  • long, rarely cut tussocky grass to give shelter and nesting places for birds and invertebrates

You can stagger cutting, so you do not cut all your buffer strips at the same time. during late summer. This will usually mean there’s always habitat available for invertebrates and small mammals.

Where possible, remove the cut vegetation to limit weeds and reduce the risk of it smothering the flower species. If this is impractical, you can finely chop the vegetation to spread it as thinly as possible.

Controlling weeds

You may need to control weeds when they appear. To control weeds like docks, nettles, thistles and common ragwort, you can cut the affected area, providing there’s still an intact grass sward. This action also allows you to use herbicides to weed wipe or spot treat weeds.

Updates to this page

Published 21 May 2024
Last updated 17 June 2026 Show all updates

  1. Added 'Advice to help you do this action' section.

  2. 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’

  3. 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.

  4. 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.

  5. First published.

Contents