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WBD4: Arable reversion to grassland with low fertiliser input (updated for SFI26)

What you must do to get paid for this SFI26 action and advice on how to do it.

From:
Department for Environment, Food & Rural Affairs and Rural Payments Agency
Published
21 May 2024
Last updated
2 June 2026 — See all updates
Grant type:
Sustainable Farming Incentive
Land type:
Arable and Waterbodies
Areas of interest:
Water quality

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 

£489 per hectare (ha) per year  

Action’s aim 

This action’s aim is that there’s a dense and diverse grass sward throughout the year which:   

  • is on land at risk of erosion or surface runoff or that creates a buffer to a sensitive habitat 

  • has a range of heights during the autumn and winter months 

  • has minimal bare ground, so the soil is covered by vegetation and is not directly exposed to the elements 

  • has low fertiliser inputs 

The purpose this is to:  

  • stabilise the soil 

  • reduce nutrient losses 

  • reduce the risk of flooding 

Where you can do this action 

You can do this action on agricultural land that’s:  

  • identified by you as being at risk of soil erosion or surface runoff, or is important for buffering ‘sensitive habitats’ – you must keep evidence of this 

  • 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 

For the purposes of this action, ‘sensitive habitats’ include:  

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  

Eligibility of protected land 

Sites of special scientific interest (SSSIs): Eligible – you must: 

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 

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: 

  • establish a diverse grass sward on land entered into this action 

  • use a seed mix which includes at least 5 grass species 

Once the grass sward is established, 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. This includes:  

  • making sure there’s an intact sward throughout the year, with minimal bare ground 

  • grazing or cutting the sward during the spring and summer months, with cuttings removed in late summer after the bird breeding season 

You must not do the following on the grass sward:  

  • graze it with livestock during the autumn and winter months (usually from early October until mid-March) 

  • apply pesticides, except for herbicides to weed wipe or spot treat to control injurious weeds, invasive non-native species, nettles or bracken 

  • apply any fertilisers or manures from late summer until mid-winter (usually from mid-August until the end of January) – this is to reduce the risk of runoff 

  • apply any livestock manures with 100 kilograms (kg) or more of total nitrogen per ha per year 

  • where you do not use livestock manures, apply nitrogen fertiliser to supply 50kg or more per ha of total nitrogen per year 

  • supplementary feed, except for non-energy based mineral blocks 

You can maintain an existing grass sward 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 CS option SW7 (arable reversion to grassland with low fertiliser input) 

When to do it 

If you’re establishing a new grass sward to meet this action, you must:  

  • sow the mix by early autumn, within 12 months of this action’s start date 

  • maintain it at the same location until this action’s end date 

If you’re maintaining an existing grass sward to meet this action, you must do this 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 written evidence that land entered into this action is either:   

  • at risk of soil erosion or surface runoff – you can use a soil management plan you’ve already produced for CSAM1 or SAM1 to identify this 

  • important for buffering sensitive habitats 

You must also 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 

  • stocking records to show grazing activity at a land parcel level 

  • input records of nitrogen application 

  • 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 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, OFC1, OFM1, PRF1, PRF2
SFI 2024 actions AGF1, AGF2, CIPM1, CNUM1, CSAM1, OFC1, OFM1, PRF1, PRF2
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, OT1
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

Published 21 May 2024
Last updated 2 June 2026 show all updates

  1. The following changes have been made to this action for SFI26 (compared with the SFI24 version): • this action’s duration is now 3 years – this only applies to SFI26 agreements, not existing 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’

  2. Action’s aim - deleted ‘next to a watercourse’. Added ‘so the soil is covered by vegetation’ for minimal bare ground. 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. What to do - updated livestock manure application to 100 kilograms (kg) or more of total nitrogen. Updated nitrogen fertiliser to 50kg or more. Other actions or options you can do on the same area - added supplemental action WB9 (nil fertiliser). Published voluntary advice to help you do this action, but it's not part of this action’s requirements.

  3. First published.

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