CSAM3: Herbal leys (updated for SFI26)
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
£224 per hectare (ha) per year
Action’s aim
This action’s aim is that there’s an established herbal ley with:
-
a mixture of grasses, legumes and herbs or wildflowers to provide varied root structures
-
areas of flowering plants from late spring and during summer months
The purpose of this is to:
-
produce a high volume of forage with minimal use of inorganic fertiliser
-
improve resilience to drought
-
help improve and maintain the soil’s structure, carbon, biology and fertility
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 (as defined in section 5.1.1 ‘Eligible land types’ in the SFI SFI26 scheme information)
-
registered with an eligible land cover on your digital maps
-
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 or leguminous and nitrogen-fixing crops | |
| Temporary grassland | Arable land | TG01 | |
| Arable land lying fallow | Arable land | FA01 | |
| Improved permanent grassland | Permanent grassland | PG01 |
Eligibility of protected land
Sites of special scientific interest (SSSIs): Ineligible – you must not enter any area that’s designated as an SSSI into this action.
Historic and archaeological features: Ineligible – you must not enter any area with an historic or archaeological feature into this action. This only affects the area where the feature is located in a land parcel. You can apply for this action on the remaining area in the land parcel if it’s eligible.
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:
-
move its location for the second and third year of this action’s duration
-
do it at the same location each year of this action’s duration
What to do
You must establish an herbal ley with a mixture of grass, legumes and herbs on land entered into this action.
You must use a seed mix which includes all of the following (as a minimum):
-
1 grass species
-
2 legume species
-
2 herb or wildflower species
If you’re establishing an herbal ley on land identified by you as being at risk of soil erosion or runoff, you must use establishment techniques which minimise the risk of soil erosion or runoff. You can use the soil management plan produced for CSAM1 (or SAM1) to identify this land.
Once the herbal ley is established, you must maintain it. To do this you must manage it in a way, and for a period of time, that can reasonably be expected to achieve this action’s aim.
You must minimise use of inorganic fertilisers containing nitrogen. Usually, this will be no more than around 40 kilograms of nitrogen per hectare per year.
You must not use the established herbal ley for storage or apply pesticides on it, except:
-
for herbicides to weed wipe or spot treat to control injurious weeds, invasive non-native species, nettles or bracken
-
to destroy the existing ley to establish a new herbal ley
You can maintain an existing herbal ley to get paid for this action if it:
-
meets this action’s requirements – you may need to re-sow it to make sure it can reasonably be expected to achieve this action’s aim
-
is not already being paid for under another environmental land management scheme option, such as CS option GS4 (legume and herb-rich swards)
When to do it
You must:
- establish the herbal ley by early autumn, within 12 months of this action’s start date
- maintain the herbal ley at the same location for a period of time that can reasonably be expected to achieve this action’s aim – this will usually be until the end of the second summer after sowing
- re-establish the herbal ley by early autumn (either at the same location or a different location) and maintain it until this action’s end date
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, 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.
| Scheme | Action or option codes | |
|---|---|---|
| SFI 2026 actions | AGF1, AGF2, OFC1, OFC3, OFM1, OFM4, PRF1, PRF2, SOH1 | |
| SFI 2024 actions | AGF1, AGF2, CIPM1, CNUM1, CSAM1, OFC1, OFC3, OFM1, OFM4, PRF1, PRF2, PRF3, SOH1 | |
| SFI 2023 actions | IPM1, NUM1, SAM1 | |
| CSHT actions from 2025 | CAGF1, CAGF2, CAGF3, CAGF4, CPAC1, CSP13, CSP14, CSP15, CSP20, CSP21, CSP9, CWS1, CWS3 | |
| CS options | OR1, OR3, OT1, OT3 | |
| 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 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
-
The following changes have been made to this action for SFI26 (compared with the SFI24 version): • the payment rate has been reduced – this only applies to SFI26 agreements, not existing SFI23 or 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’
-
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.
-
OR1 removed from CS options.
-
Action’s aim - ‘minor wording update’. 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 - you can apply for this action on the area in a land parcel that does not contain an historic or archaeological feature. Rotational or static action - this action is rotational or static. Wording on new and existing herbal leys has been removed. What to do - replaced ‘at least’ with ‘as a minimum’ for the seed mix that you must use. When to do it - updated wording to reflect that this action is rotational or static for new and existing herbal leys. Published voluntary advice to help you do this action, but it's not part of this action’s requirements.
-
First published.