CIPM2: Flower-rich grass margins, blocks or in-field strips
What you must do to get paid for this action and advice on how to do it.
This is an action in the Sustainable Farming Incentive (SFI) scheme: expanded offer for 2024. You must read the SFI scheme information to understand the scheme rules and how to apply.
Duration
3 years
How much you’ll be paid
£798 per hectare (ha) per year
Action’s aim
This action’s aim is that there’s an established multi-annual flower-rich grass mix which:
- is growing in margins, blocks or in-field strips
- produces flowering plants during the spring and summer months, into early autumn
The purpose of this is to:
- encourage natural crop pest predators as part of an integrated pest management approach if located close to cropped areas
- provide habitat and foraging sites for invertebrates, including natural crop pest predators, wild pollinators such as bumblebees, solitary bees, butterflies and hoverflies, and farmland birds
Where you can do this action
You can do this action on agricultural land located below the moorland line that’s:
- an eligible land type (read section 5.1 ‘Eligible land types for SFI’)
- registered with an eligible land cover on your digital maps
- declared with a land use code which is compatible with the eligible land cover
This is a ‘limited area’ action. The total eligible area you enter into any combination of one of more of the ‘limited area’ actions must not be more than 25% of the total agricultural area of your farm. Read section 1.3 ‘SFI actions with a limited area’ for more information and a list of the ‘limited area’ actions.
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 and non-horticultural | Permanent crops | Land use codes for permanent crops |
Eligibility of protected land
| Protected land | Eligibility |
|---|---|
| Sites of special scientific interest (SSSIs) | Eligible – you must get SSSI consent before you do this action (read section 5.5 ‘Land that’s a site of special scientific interest (SSSI)’) |
| Historic and archaeological features | Eligible – you must get a HEFER before you do this action (read section 5.6 ‘Land with historic or archaeological features’) |
Available area you can enter into this action
Part of the available area in a land parcel.
Rotational or static action
This action is static. This means you must do it on at the same location each year of this action’s duration.
What to do
You must establish a flower-rich grass mix as a margin, block or in-field strip on land entered into this action.
You must use a seed mix which includes at least both:
- 4 grass species (not ryegrass) – these should make up no more than 90% of the total mix by weight
- 10 wildflower species – with no individual flower species being more than 25% of the total wildflower species element by weight
Once the flower-rich grass margin, block or in-field strip is established (usually from the second spring after sowing), you must maintain it. To do this you must manage it in a way that can reasonably be expected to achieve this action’s aim.
You must not do the following on the established flower-rich grass margin, block or in-field strip:
- cut or graze it with livestock in a way that means this action’s aim cannot reasonably be expected to be achieved
- use them for regular vehicular access, turning or storage
- mechanically apply any fertilisers and 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 flower-rich grass margin, block or in-field 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 Countryside Stewardship (CS) option AB8 (flower rich margins and plots)
When to do it
If you’re establishing a new flower-rich grass margin, block or in-field strip to meet this action, you must:
- sow the mix by early autumn, within 12 months of this action’s start date
- maintain the mix at the same location until this action’s end date
If you’re maintaining an existing flower-rich grass margin, block or in-field strip to meet this action, you must do this until this action’s end date. You may need to oversow it within 12 months of this action’s start date, so it can reasonably be expected to achieve this action’s aim.
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
Advice to help you do this action will be published before applications are fully launched from summer 2024. It will not be 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, including details of the seed mix used
- 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. Some actions or options can only be done on the same area if they’re done at a different time of year to this action. For example, winter cover followed by a summer companion crop. Read ‘What to do’ and ‘When to do it’ to find out when this action must be done.
| Scheme | Action or option codes |
|---|---|
| SFI 2024 actions | OFC3, OFC4, OFC5, OFM4, OFM5, OFM6, AGF1, AGF2, PRF2, CSAM1, CIPM1, CNUM1 |
| SFI 2023 actions | SAM1, IPM1, NUM1 |
| CS options | OR3, OR4, OR5, OT3, OT4, OT5 |
| ES options | No ES revenue options |
| SFI pilot standards | No area-based SFI pilot standards |
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 6 ‘Eligible land in other funding schemes’ for more information.
You can do the following actions or options on the eligible boundaries of a land parcel entered into this action:
- SFI 2024 actions: CHRW1, CHRW2, CHRW3, BND1, BND2 and WBD2
- SFI 2023 actions: HRW1, HRW2, HRW3
- CS option BE3 (management of hedgerows)
- the introductory level of the SFI pilot hedgerows standard