CHRW2: Manage hedgerows
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
£13 per 100 metres (m) for one side of an eligible hedgerow per year
Action’s aim
This action’s aim is that there are managed hedgerows with a range of different heights and widths.
The purpose of this is to provide:
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habitat for wildlife
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pollen, nectar and berries for mammals, birds and insects
Where you can do this action
An eligible hedgerow for this action must be:
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a boundary line of shrubs, or both shrubs and trees
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over 20m long
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less than 10m wide
The hedgerow can be:
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newly planted, laid or coppiced
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woody growth on top of an earth or stone-faced bank, for example, Cornish or Devon hedges
There can be gaps in the hedgerow if they’re not more than:
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20m long
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10% of the total length of the relevant hedgerow when you add all the gaps in it together
If the gaps add up to more than 10%, you can only do the action on the total length of the hedgerow if you’ll plant up the gaps during this action’s 3-year duration.
Check you have management control of your hedgerows
You must have management control of the eligible hedgerows you enter into this action for its 3-year duration.
If you have management control of:
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one side of an eligible hedgerow, you must only enter one side into this action
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both sides, you can usually choose whether to enter one side or both sides – however, you must enter both sides if you want to manage the hedgerow in a coppicing or laying rotation
You will have management control of both sides of a hedgerow that’s next to a road, or borders a neighbour’s land if you meet both of the following:
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you have a legal right or obligation to maintain the hedgerow
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you can meet this action’s requirements
Check the length you enter into this action
It’s your responsibility to check that the length (in metres) you enter in your SFI application:
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is eligible for this action
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corresponds with what’s on the ground for the relevant land parcel – make sure you measure your hedgerows and enter an accurate length
We do not use the hedgerow lengths shown on your digital maps in your SFI application.
If you enter a length which is ineligible or exceeds what’s on the ground, the Rural Payments Agency (RPA) will have to remove it from your SFI26 agreement. You may also have to repay monies already received.
We’ll publish guidance explaining how to enter both sides of a hedgerow in your SFI application.
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 RPA can 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: 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).
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 manage hedgerows entered into this action. What you must do to manage them depends on whether they’re:
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fully established, which will usually be the case around 5 years after they’re planted
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newly planted, or not fully established
If the hedgerows are fully established, you must use one of the following management approaches (you can use different approaches on different fully established hedgerows):
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cut each hedgerow incrementally
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on a rotation, cut each hedgerow no more than once every 3 years, cutting no more than one third of hedges each year
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on a rotation, cut each hedgerow no more than once every 2 years, cutting no more than half the hedges each year
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managing them in a coppicing or laying rotation, which may mean they’re left uncut for the duration of your 3-year SFI agreement
If the hedgerows are newly planted, or not fully established, you must lightly trim them incrementally. You must do this until they’re fully established.
When to do it
For fully established hedgerows, if you’re cutting them:
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incrementally, you must do this during the autumn and winter months (usually September to late February), each year of this action’s 3-year duration
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on a rotation no more than once every 3 years, you must do this during the autumn and winter months
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on a rotation no more than once every 2 years, you must do this in late winter (usually from early January to late February)
For newly planted hedgerows, or hedgerows which are not fully established, you must lightly trim them incrementally:
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during the autumn and winter months
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each year of this action’s 3-year duration
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 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 with this action
You can do the following actions or options in land parcels with eligible boundaries entered into this action.
| Scheme | Action or option codes |
|---|---|
| SFI 2026 actions | All SFI 2026 actions except BND1 |
| SFI 2024 actions | All SFI 2024 actions except BND1 and CHRW2 |
| SFI 2023 actions | All SFI 2023 actions except HRW2 |
| CSHT actions from 2025 | All CSHT actions except CHRW4 |
| CS options | All CS management options except BE3 (management of hedgerows) |
| ES options | All ES revenue options except boundary options |
Updates to this page
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No substantive changes have been made to this action for SFI26 (compared with the SFI24 version). There have only been minor updates to standard wording which appears in all linear SFI actions. See ‘Check you have management control of your hedgerows’ and ‘Check the length you enter into this action’.
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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.
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Eligibility of protected land - updated link to section 10.3 ‘SSSI consent’ in the SFI scheme information. 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.