CIPM3: Companion crop on arable and horticultural land
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.
For SFI24 actions, read the SFI24 agreement holder’s information.
Duration
3 years
How much you’ll be paid
£55 per hectare (ha) per year
Action’s aim
This action’s aim is that there’s companion crop growing with a main arable or horticultural crop.
The purpose of this is to do one or more of the following:
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support an integrated pest management (IPM) approach by acting as a trap crop for pests or by supressing weeds
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provide a habitat for birds and invertebrates, including pollinators and natural crop pest predators
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manage nutrient efficiency
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protect soil and improve its condition
Where you can do this action
You can do this action on agricultural land located below the moorland line that’s:
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an eligible land type (as defined in section 5.1.1 ‘Eligible land types’
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registered with an eligible land cover on your digital maps
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declared with a land use code which is compatible with the eligible land cover
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 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:
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give notice to Natural England to get SSSI consent before the Rural Payments Agency (RPA) 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 SFI 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 rotational or static. This means you can either:
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move its location for the second and third years of this action’s duration
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do it at the same location each year of this action’s duration
What to do
You must establish a companion crop on land entered into this action, so it’s growing with the main arable or horticultural crop.
The companion crop does not have to be present for the full growing period of the arable or horticultural crop, as long as it’s managed in a way that can reasonably be expected to achieve the action’s aim and its intended purpose.
You can establish the companion crop by:
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trap cropping – sowing a trap crop to attract crop pests away from the main arable or horticultural crop
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inter-cropping – sowing the companion crop with the main arable or horticultural crop
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undersowing – sowing a companion crop to form a living mulch beneath the arable or horticultural crop
You must avoid growing deep rooted species of companion crop on any area within a land parcel with historic or archaeological features identified in your SFI HEFER. Read section 5.3 ‘Land with historic or archaeological features’ in the SFI scheme information for more details.
You can use an existing companion crop to get paid for this action if it meets this action’s requirements.
When to do it
You must do this action each year of its 3-year duration.
If this action’s start date means it’s too late for you to do this action, you must start doing it within 12 months of the action’s start date.
For example, if you’ve already sown the main arable and horticultural crop before this action starts, you can establish the companion crop within 12 months of this action’s start date.
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
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:
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field operations at a land parcel level and associated invoices
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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 | AGF1, AGF2, CAHL2, CIPM4, CSAM2, OFC3, OFC4, OFC5, OFM4, OFM5, OFM6, PRF1, PRF2, PRF4, SOH1, SOH3 |
| SFI 2024 actions | AGF1, AGF2, CAHL2, CIPM1, CIPM4, CNUM1, CSAM1, CSAM2, OFA1, OFC3, OFC4, OFC5, OFM4, OFM5, OFM6, PRF1, PRF2, PRF3, PRF4, SOH1, SOH2, SOH3 |
| SFI 2023 actions | AHL2, IPM1, IPM4, NUM1, SAM1, SAM2 |
| CSHT actions from 2025 | CAB17, CAGF1, CAGF2, CAGF3, CAGF4, CHS3, CHS9, CSP13, CSP14, CSP15, CSP20, CSP21, CSP9, CSW17, CSW19, CWS1, CWS3 |
| CS options | HS3, HS9, OP1, OR3, OR4, OR5, OT3, OT4, OT5, SW6 |
| 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 SFI 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.
Choosing what to sow and how to establish a companion crop
When you establish the arable or horticultural crop to grow with the companion crop, by law you cannot cultivate or apply fertilisers or pesticides to land within 2 metres (m) of the centre of a hedgerow. Read the guidance on Hedgerow management rules: buffer strips to understand how these rules apply to you.
The species and type of companion crop you choose to sow will be determined by:
- the main arable or horticultural crop you’re growing
- soil conditions
- the crop pest to be controlled
You can establish the companion crop by trap cropping, inter-cropping or undersowing.
Your seed supplier can help you choose what to sow and advise you on an overall sowing rate.
Establishing a trap crop
To establish the companion crop as a trap crop, you can sow it:
- around the field in plots or in between the main arable or horticultural crop
- before, at the same time or as a separate pass into the main arable or horticultural crop
This can help attract pests away from the main crop.
Find out more about trap cropping in the Agriculture and Horticulture Development Board (AHDB) guidance on using companion cropping to manage cabbage stem flea beetle in oilseed rape.
Establishing an intercrop
To establish the companion crop as an intercrop, you can sow the companion crop with the main arable or horticultural crop. You can then harvest them together.
This can help suppress weeds, reduce disease and crop pests, and provide nutrients.
Find out more about intercropping on the Processors and Growers Research Organisation website.
Establishing the companion crop by undersowing
To establish the companion crop by undersowing, you can sow it either:
- at the same time as the main arable or horticultural crop
- as a separate pass into the main arable or horticultural crop
You can then leave the companion crop to grow on after you harvest the main crop.
This can help to suppress weeds, retain nutrients and protect against soil erosion.
Find out more about undersowing in the AHDB guidance on:
Updates to this page
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Added 'Advice to help you do this action' section.
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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 area-based SFI actions – see ‘Eligibility of protected land’ and ‘Available area you can 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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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. Other actions or options you can do on the same area - deleted ‘only if CIPM3 is done during the summer months’ as that’s already covered in the text for this section. SW6 added to CS options. 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.