OFM5: Organic land management – 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.
Duration
3 years
How much you’ll be paid
£707 per hectare (ha) per year
Action’s aim
This action’s aim is that horticultural land is maintained under organic management.
The purpose of this is to:
-
improve soil health
-
increase biodiversity
-
improve water quality
Where you can do this action
You can do this action on agricultural land located below the moorland line that’s:
-
registered as ‘fully organic’ by a Defra-licensed organic control body
-
used to grow at least one horticultural crop in each land parcel entered into this action, each year of this action’s duration
-
an eligible land type (as defined in section 5.1.1 ‘Eligible land types’ in the 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 horticultural crops | Arable land | Land use codes for horticultural arable crops | |
| Permanent crops – horticultural | Permanent crops | TC01 |
Eligibility of protected land
Sites of special scientific interest (SSSIs): Eligible – you must:
-
give notice to Natural England to get SSSI consent before the Rural Payments Agency (RPA) offer you an SFI26 agreement
-
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).
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
For non-permanent horticultural crops grown on arable land this action is rotational or static. This means you can either:
-
move its location for the second and third years of this action’s duration
-
do it at the same location each year of this action’s duration
For permanent horticultural crops, this action is static. This means you must do it at the same location each year of this action’s duration.
What you must do to get paid
You must comply with the organic standards required by your Defra-licensed organic control body on land entered into this action.
When to do it
You must do this action from its start date, throughout each year of its 3-year duration.
How to do it
You must do this action in a way that meets the required organic standards.
Evidence to keep
You must keep a valid organic certificate and schedule for all land entered into this action. This must cover at least the full period of this action’s duration.
You must supply this 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, AHW11, AHW3, AHW5, BFS1, CAHL1, CAHL2, CAHL3, CAHL4, CIPM2, CIPM3, CIPM4, CNUM3, CSAM2, PRF1, PRF2, SOH3, WBD3 | |
| SFI 2024 actions | AGF1, AGF2, AHW1, AHW11, AHW12, AHW3, AHW5, BFS1, BFS2, BFS4, CAHL1, CAHL2, CAHL3, CAHL4, CIPM1, CIPM2, CIPM3, CIPM4, CNUM1, CNUM3, CSAM1, CSAM2, PRF1, PRF2, PRF3, SOH2, SOH3, WBD3 | |
| SFI 2023 actions | AHL1, AHL2, AHL3, AHL4, IPM1, IPM2, IPM3, IPM4, NUM1, NUM3, SAM1, SAM2 | |
| CSHT actions from 2025 | CAB11, CAB16, CAB17, CAB18, CAB19, CAB5, CAGF1, CAGF2, CAGF3, CAGF4, CHS3, CHS9, CSP13, CSP14, CSP15, CSP20, CSP21, CSP9, CSW17, CSW19, CWD3, CWS1, CWS3, CWT2 | |
| CS options | AB11, AB16, AB3, AB5, AB8, BE1, HS3, HS9, SW1, SW3, SW4, SW6, WD3, WT2 | |
| 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)
Updates to this page
-
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’.
-
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. Rotational or static action - for non-permanent horticultural crops, this action is rotational or static. For permanent horticultural crops, this action is static.
-
First published.