WBD2: Manage ditches
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
£4 per 100 metres (m) for both sides
Action’s aim
This action’s aim is that there are ditches with:
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varied bankside and aquatic vegetation
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undisturbed wildlife habitat
The purpose of this is to:
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maintain vegetation that’s typical of wet ditches
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provide habitats for wildlife
Where you can do this action
An eligible ditch for this action must:
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form part of the boundary of a land parcel that’s located below the moorland line
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be a man-made, long and narrow linear channel that’s cut into the ground for the purpose of draining the land or managing water levels
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have vegetated banks
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regularly contain standing or flowing water
The following features are not eligible for this action:
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ditches located in a severely disadvantaged area (SDA) below the moorland line
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culverts or underground drains
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natural watercourses, such as streams
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non-linear water features, such as ponds, lakes or reservoirs
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grips, gutters and foot drains
Check you have management control of your ditches
You must have management control of both sides of the entire length of the eligible ditch you enter into this action for its 3-year duration.
If you only have management control of one side of the ditch, you must not enter it into this action.
You will have management control of both sides of a ditch that borders a neighbour’s land if you meet both of the following conditions:
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you have a legal right or obligation to manage the ditch
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you can meet this action’s requirements
You cannot do this action on ditches managed by third parties, such as Internal Drainage Boards.
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
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.
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: 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 the ditch in a way that can reasonably be expected to achieve this action’s aim, including:
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cutting vegetation at the top of the ditch bank in rotation, so you only cut up to half the length of the ditch bank in any year of this action’s 3-year duration
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carrying out in-channel management on any section of the ditch no more than once during this action’s 3-year duration – this includes cleaning out silt or vegetation and cutting vegetation in the ditch channel
To minimise disturbance to wildlife, you must only manage the ditch during the autumn, winter and early spring (usually September to late March).
You must not re-profile or increase the width or depth of the ditch.
When to do it
You must do this action from its start date, throughout 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.
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
Keep evidence to show what you’ve done to complete this action, such as:
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ditch management 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 | All SFI 2026 actions except BND1 | |
| SFI 2024 actions | All SFI 2024 actions except BND1 and WBD2 | |
| SFI 2023 actions | All SFI 2023 actions | |
| CSHT actions from 2025 | All CSHT actions | |
| CS options | All CS management options including BE3 (management of hedgerows) | |
| ES options | All ES revenue options except boundary 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.
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 ditches’ and ‘Check the length you enter into this action’.
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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.