Research and analysis

Farming Sector Environmental Objectives: farm wildlife

Published 22 October 2026

Applies to England

1. Objective title

By 2030, the farming sector and delivery partners will double the number of farms providing sufficient year-round resources for farm wildlife, compared with 2025.

2. Objective overview

Biodiversity across England is declining, with consequences for our wellbeing, economy, and access to essential natural resources. While recovery requires focused action in specific areas, it also depends on integrating nature across the whole landscape.

Around 70% of England is farmland, meaning that agricultural land use has a decisive influence on biodiversity at a national scale. As biodiversity recovery requires both targeted action and landscape‑wide change, farmland must play a key role in providing space for nature alongside food production.

This objective aims to support this transition by providing sufficient year‑round resources for farm wildlife through agri‑environment schemes (AES), helping to integrate nature into farmed landscapes while supporting farming to remain productive, resilient, and sustainable.

3. Relevant targets and commitments

Environment Act 2021

The Environment Act 2021 sets three statutory targets relating to terrestrial and freshwater species, stating:

• halt the decline in species abundance by 2030, as represented by the overall relative species abundance index

• increase the relative species abundance index by 2042 so that it is greater than in 2022 and at least 10% greater than in 2030

• improve the Red List Index for England for species extinction by 2042 compared to 2022 levels

Environmental Improvement Plan

In order to meet the statutory targets set under the Environment Act 2021, the Environmental Improvement Plan 2025 sets an interim target for farm wildlife:

• By December 2030, double the number of farms providing sufficient year-round resources for farm wildlife, compared with 2025

4. Delivery approach

4.1 Methodology

Farms are encouraged to put in place an effective combination of agri-environment scheme actions that provide year-round support for birds, pollinators and other wildlife typical of the farmed environment.

A ‘farm wildlife action’ refers to over 100 specific actions identified across the Sustainable Farming Incentive (SFI) and Countryside Stewardship (CS) schemes. These actions are categorised into four broad action groups:

• summer food: supply of flowers that support pollinating insects such as bees, butterflies and hoverflies, helping wildlife feed and thrive throughout the growing season.

• nesting and shelter: create safe places for birds, insects and other wildlife to nest, breed, shelter and move through the farmed landscape.

• winter food: actions to provide vital food resources during autumn and winter, helping farmland birds and other wildlife survive periods when natural food is scarce.

• supporting habitat: additional actions to maintain and enhance features such as hedgerows, ponds, trees and watercourses that provide habitat, connectivity and year-round resources for a wide range of wildlife.

To contribute towards achieving the objective, at least one action from each of the first three groups must be undertaken by a farm business to ensure year-round resources. These actions must also cover a minimum of 7% of the total farm area collectively. The actions currently identified as contributing to this objective and their categories can be found in Table 1 and Table 2 respectively.

Progress towards the farm wildlife objective is measured by the percentage of farm businesses with contributing actions in live agreements at the capture date. This includes both the action group and farm area coverage requirements.

4.2 Baselines and Assumptions

Farm area is defined as the total land area within a farm business that is used for agricultural activity. A threshold of 7% is required, as reviewed evidence indicates this level supports positive outcomes for species while remaining achievable within productive farming systems.

As at July 2025, 21% of all farm businesses in England were providing sufficient year-round resources for farm wildlife. Taking 21% as the baseline, the objective sets an ambition for 42% of farm business to meet the requirements by 2030.

For this objective, hedgerow actions have been converted from metres to hectares, assuming that coverage extends 1.5 metres into the parcel. This is based on the minimum requirements for favourable width threshold for mature hedgerows (established by Natural England)[https://publications.naturalengland.org.uk/publication/5565675205820416] and the minimum width for new planting requirements under agri-environment schemes.

4.3 Key and supporting actions

Table 1: Environmental land management actions contributing to Farm Wildlife

Action Code	Action Name	Scheme	Type
CAB2	Basic overwintered stubble	CS Higher Tier	Key
CAB5	Nesting plots for lapwing and stone curlew	CS Higher Tier	Key
CAB6	Enhanced overwintered stubble	CS Higher Tier	Key
CAB10	Unharvested cereal headland	CS Higher Tier	Key
CAB11	Cultivated areas for arable plants	CS Higher Tier	Key
CAB12	Supplementary winter bird food	CS Higher Tier	Key
CAB14	Low input harvested cereal crops	CS Higher Tier	Key
CAB17	Winter bird food on arable and horticulture land	CS Higher Tier	Key
CAB18	Flower-rich grass margins, blocks, or in-field strips	CS Higher Tier	Key
CAB19	Pollen and nectar flower mix	CS Higher Tier	Key
CGS4	Herbal leys	CS Higher Tier	Key
CHRW4	Management of hedgerows	CS Higher Tier	Key
CWD3	Manage woodland edges on arable land	CS Higher Tier	Key
CWD7	Manage scrub and open habitat mosaics	CS Higher Tier	Key
CWD8	Create scrub and open habitat mosaics	CS Higher Tier	Key
CWT1	Buffer in-field ponds and ditches on improved grassland	CS Higher Tier	Key
CWT2	Buffer in-field ponds and ditches on arable land	CS Higher Tier	Key
AGF1	Maintain very low density in-field agroforestry on less sensitive land	SFI Expanded Offer	Key
AGF2	Maintain low density in-field agroforestry on less sensitive land	SFI Expanded Offer	Key
AHW1	Bumblebird mix	SFI Expanded Offer	Key
AHW2	Supplementary winter bird food	SFI Expanded Offer	Key
AHW3	Beetle banks	SFI Expanded Offer	Key
AHW4	Skylark plots	SFI Expanded Offer	Key
AHW5	Nesting plots for lapwing	SFI Expanded Offer	Key
AHW6	Basic overwinter stubble	SFI Expanded Offer	Key
AHW7	Enhanced overwinter stubble	SFI Expanded Offer	Key
AHW8	Whole crop spring cereals and overwinter stubble	SFI Expanded Offer	Key
AHW9	Unharvested cereal headland	SFI Expanded Offer	Key
AHW10	Low input harvested cereal crop	SFI Expanded Offer	Key
AHW11	Cultivated areas for arable plants	SFI Expanded Offer	Key
AHW12	Manage woodland edges on arable land	SFI Expanded Offer	Key
BFS1	12m to 24m watercourse buffer strip on cultivated land	SFI Expanded Offer	Key
BFS2	Buffer in-field ponds on arable land	SFI Expanded Offer	Key
BFS3	Buffer in-field ponds on improved grassland	SFI Expanded Offer	Key
BFS4	Protect in-field trees on arable land	SFI Expanded Offer	Key
BFS5	Protect in-field trees on intensive grassland	SFI Expanded Offer	Key
BFS6	6m to 12m habitat strip next to watercourses	SFI Expanded Offer	Key
CAHL1	Pollen and nectar flower mix	SFI Expanded Offer	Key
CAHL2	Winter bird food on arable and horticultural land	SFI Expanded Offer	Key
CAHL3	Grassy field corners or blocks	SFI Expanded Offer	Key
CAHL4	4m to 12m grass buffer strip on arable and horticultural land	SFI Expanded Offer	Key
CHRW2	Manage hedgerows	SFI Expanded Offer	Key
CHRW3	Maintain or establish hedgerow trees	SFI Expanded Offer	Key
CIGL1	Take grassland field corners or blocks out of management	SFI Expanded Offer	Key
CIGL2	Winter bird food on improved grassland	SFI Expanded Offer	Key
CIGL3	4m to 12m grass buffer strip on improved grassland	SFI Expanded Offer	Key
CIPM2	Flower-rich grass margins, blocks or in-field strips	SFI Expanded Offer	Key
CLIG3	Manage grassland with very low nutrient inputs	SFI Expanded Offer	Key
CNUM3	Legume fallow	SFI Expanded Offer	Key
CSAM3	Herbal leys	SFI Expanded Offer	Key
GRH1	Manage rough grazing for birds	SFI Expanded Offer	Key
GRH10	Supplement: Lenient grazing	SFI Expanded Offer	Key
OFA1	Overwinter stubble (organic land)	SFI Expanded Offer	Key
OFA3	Supplementary winter bird food (organic land)	SFI Expanded Offer	Key
SCR1	Create scrub and open habitat mosaics	SFI Expanded Offer	Key
SCR2	Manage scrub and open habitat mosaics	SFI Expanded Offer	Key
WBD1	Manage ponds	SFI Expanded Offer	Key
WBD2	Manage ditches	SFI Expanded Offer	Key
WBD3	In-field grass strips	SFI Expanded Offer	Key
AB1	Nectar flower mix	Countryside Stewardship	Key
AB10	Unharvested cereal headland	Countryside Stewardship	Key
AB11	Cultivated areas for arable plants	Countryside Stewardship	Key
AB12	Supplementary winter feeding for farmland birds	Countryside Stewardship	Key
AB14	Harvested low input cereal	Countryside Stewardship	Key
AB2	Basic overwinter stubble	Countryside Stewardship	Key
AB3	Beetle banks	Countryside Stewardship	Key
AB5	Nesting plots for lapwing and stone curlew	Countryside Stewardship	Key
AB6	Enhanced overwinter stubble	Countryside Stewardship	Key
AB8	Flower-rich margins and plots	Countryside Stewardship	Key
AB9	Winter bird food	Countryside Stewardship	Key
BE1	Protection of in-field trees on arable land	Countryside Stewardship	Key
BE3	Management of hedgerows	Countryside Stewardship	Key
GS1	Take small areas out of management	Countryside Stewardship	Key
GS13	Management of grassland for target features	Countryside Stewardship	Key
GS2	Permanent grassland with very low inputs (outside SDAs)	Countryside Stewardship	Key
GS3	Ryegrass seed-set as winter food for birds	Countryside Stewardship	Key
GS4	Legume and herb-rich swards	Countryside Stewardship	Key
OP1	Overwintered stubble	Countryside Stewardship	Key
OP2	Wild bird seed mixture	Countryside Stewardship	Key
OP3	Supplementary feeding for farmland birds	Countryside Stewardship	Key
OP4	Multi species ley	Countryside Stewardship	Key
SW1	4-6m buffer strip on cultivated land	Countryside Stewardship	Key
SW2	4-6m buffer strip on intensive grassland	Countryside Stewardship	Key
SW4	12m to 24m watercourse buffer strip on cultivated land	Countryside Stewardship	Key
WD3	Woodland edges on arable land	Countryside Stewardship	Key
WD7	Maintenance of successional areas and scrub	Countryside Stewardship	Key
WD8	Creation of successional areas and scrub	Countryside Stewardship	Key
WT1	Buffering in-field ponds and ditches in improved grassland	Countryside Stewardship	Key
WT2	Buffering in-field ponds and ditches on arable land	Countryside Stewardship	Key
WT4	Management of ponds of High Wildlife value (first 100 sq m)	Countryside Stewardship	Key
WT5	Management of ponds of High Wildlife value (areas greater than 100 sq m)	Countryside Stewardship	Key
AHL1	Pollen and nectar flower mix	Sustainable Farming Incentive 2023	Key
AHL2	Winter bird food on arable and horticultural land	Sustainable Farming Incentive 2023	Key
AHL4	4m to 12m grass buffer strip on arable and horticultural land	Sustainable Farming Incentive 2023	Key
HRW2	Manage hedgerows	Sustainable Farming Incentive 2023	Key
IGL1	Take improved grassland field corners or blocks out of management	Sustainable Farming Incentive 2023	Key
IGL2	Winter bird food on improved grassland	Sustainable Farming Incentive 2023	Key
IGL3	4m to 12m grass buffer strip on improved grassland	Sustainable Farming Incentive 2023	Key
IPM2	Flower-rich grass margins, blocks, or in-field strips	Sustainable Farming Incentive 2023	Key
LIG1	Manage grassland with very low nutrient inputs (outside SDAs)	Sustainable Farming Incentive 2023	Key
NUM3	Legume fallows	Sustainable Farming Incentive 2023	Key
SAM3	Herbal leys	Sustainable Farming Incentive 2023	Key
IGS4	establish and maintain herbal leys on at least 15% of land in this level of the standard	Sustainable Farming Incentive 2022	Key
BN11	Planting new hedges	Capital Grants	Key
BN5	Hedgerow laying	Capital Grants	Key
BN6	Hedgerow coppicing	Capital Grants	Key
BN7	Hedgerow gapping-up	Capital Grants	Key
WB1	Small Wildlife Box	Capital Grants	Key
WB2	Medium Wildlife Box	Capital Grants	Key
WB3	Large Wildlife Box	Capital Grants	Key
WN2	Creation of scrapes and gutters	Capital Grants	Key

Table 2: Environmental land management actions categorised by action group required for Farm Wildlife

Summer food	Nesting and shelter	Winter food	Supporting habitat
AB1: Nectar flower mix	AB10: Unharvested cereal headland	AB10: Unharvested cereal headland	AB9: Winter bird food
AB10: Unharvested cereal headland	AB11: Cultivated areas for arable plants	AB12: Supplementary winter feeding for farmland birds	AGF1: Maintain very low density in-field agroforestry on less sensitive land
AB11: Cultivated areas for arable plants	AB14: Harvested low input cereal	AB2: Basic overwinter stubble	AGF2: Maintain low density in-field agroforestry on less sensitive land
AB12: Supplementary winter feeding for farmland birds	AB2: Basic overwinter stubble	AB3: Beetle banks	AHL1: Pollen and nectar flower mix
AB14: Harvested low input cereal	AB3: Beetle banks	AB6: Enhanced overwinter stubble	AHL2: Winter bird food on arable and horticultural land
AB2: Basic overwinter stubble	AB5: Nesting plots for lapwing and stone curlew	AB9: Winter bird food	AHL4: 4m to 12m grass buffer strip on arable and horticultural land
AB3: Beetle banks	AB6: Enhanced overwinter stubble	AHL2: Winter bird food on arable and horticultural land	AHW12: Manage woodland edges on arable land
AB6: Enhanced overwinter stubble	AB8: Flower-rich margins and plots	AHW1: Bumblebird mix	BFS1: 12m to 24m watercourse buffer strip on cultivated land
AB8: Flower-rich margins and plots	AB9: Winter bird food	AHW2: Supplementary winter bird food	BFS2: Buffer in-field ponds on arable land
AB9: Winter bird food	AHL1: Pollen and nectar flower mix	AHW3: Beetle banks	BFS3: Buffer in-field ponds on improved grassland
AHL1: Pollen and nectar flower mix	AHL2: Winter bird food on arable and horticultural land	AHW6: Basic overwinter stubble	BFS4: Protect in-field trees on arable land
AHL2: Winter bird food on arable and horticultural land	AHL4: 4m to 12m grass buffer strip on arable and horticultural land	AHW7: Enhanced overwinter stubble	BFS5: Protect in-field trees on intensive grassland
AHL4: 4m to 12m grass buffer strip on arable and horticultural land	AHW10: Low input harvested cereal crop	AHW8: Whole crop spring cereals and overwinter stubble	CAB19: Pollen and nectar flower mix
AHW1: Bumblebird mix	AHW11: Cultivated areas for arable plants	AHW9: Unharvested cereal headland	CAHL2: Winter bird food on arable and horticultural land
AHW10: Low input harvested cereal crop	AHW3: Beetle banks	BE3: Management of hedgerows	CAHL4: 4m to 12m grass buffer strip on arable and horticultural land
AHW11: Cultivated areas for arable plants	AHW4: Skylark plots	BN11: Planting new hedges	CHRW2: Manage hedgerows
AHW2: Supplementary winter bird food	AHW5: Nesting plots for lapwing	BN7: Hedgerow gapping-up	CHRW3: Maintain or establish hedgerow trees
AHW3: Beetle banks	AHW6: Basic overwinter stubble	CAB10: Unharvested cereal headland	CIGL3: 4m to 12m grass buffer strip on improved grassland
AHW7: Enhanced overwinter stubble	AHW7: Enhanced overwinter stubble	CAB12: Supplementary winter bird food	CLIG3: Manage grassland with very low nutrient inputs
AHW9: Unharvested cereal headland	AHW8: Whole crop spring cereals and overwinter stubble	CAB17: Winter bird food on arable and horticulture land	CWD3: Manage woodland edges on arable land
CAB14: Low input harvested cereal crops	BN6: Hedgerow coppicing	GS1: Take small areas out of management	SW2: 4-6m buffer strip on intensive grassland
CAB17: Winter bird food on arable and horticulture land	BN7: Hedgerow gapping-up	GS13: Management of grassland for target features	WBD1: Manage ponds
CAB18: Flower-rich grass margins, blocks, or in-field strips (on arable land or permanent crops)	CAB10: Unharvested cereal headland	GS3: Ryegrass seed-set as winter food for birds	WBD2: Manage ditches
BE1: Protection of in-field trees on arable land	AHW9: Unharvested cereal headland	CAB2: Basic overwintered stubble	CWT1: Buffer in-field ponds and ditches on improved grassland
BE3: Management of hedgerows	BE1: Protection of in-field trees on arable land	CAB6: Enhanced overwintered stubble	CWT2: Buffer in-field ponds and ditches on arable land
BFS1: 12m to 24m watercourse buffer strip on cultivated land	BE3: Management of hedgerows	CAHL2: Winter bird food on arable and horticultural land	GS13: Management of grassland for target features
BFS4: Protect in-field trees on arable land	BFS1: 12m to 24m watercourse buffer strip on cultivated land	CHRW2: Manage hedgerows	GS2: Permanent grassland with very low inputs (outside SDAs)
BN11: Planting new hedges	BFS4: Protect in-field trees on arable land	CHRW4: Management of hedgerows	IGL3: 4m to 12m grass buffer strip on improved grassland
BN7: Hedgerow gapping-up	BFS6: 6m to 12m habitat strip next to watercourses	CIGL2: Winter bird food on improved grassland	LIG1: Manage grassland with very low nutrient inputs (outside SDAs)
CAB10: Unharvested cereal headland	BN11: Planting new hedges	CWD7: Manage scrub and open habitat mosaics	OP2: Wild bird seed mixture
CAB11: Cultivated areas for arable plants	BN5: Hedgerow laying	CWD8: Create scrub and open habitat mosaics	SW1: 4-6m buffer strip on cultivated land
CAB19: Pollen and nectar flower mix	CAB11: Cultivated areas for arable plants	HRW2: Manage hedgerows	WD3: Woodland edges on arable land
CAB6: Enhanced overwintered stubble	CAB14: Low input harvested cereal crops	IGL2: Winter bird food on improved grassland	WN2: Creation of scrapes and gutters
CAHL1: Pollen and nectar flower mix	CAB19: Pollen and nectar flower mix	OFA1: Overwinter stubble (organic land)	WT1: Buffering in-field ponds and ditches in improved grassland
CAHL2: Winter bird food on arable and horticultural land	CAB5: Nesting plots for lapwing and stone curlew	OFA3: Supplementary winter bird food (organic land)	WT2: Buffering in-field ponds and ditches on arable land
CAHL3: Grassy field corners or blocks	CAB6: Enhanced overwintered stubble	OP1: Overwintered stubble	WT4: Management of ponds of High Wildlife value (first 100 sq m)
CAHL4: 4m to 12m grass buffer strip on arable and horticultural land	CAHL1: Pollen and nectar flower mix	OP2: Wild bird seed mixture	WT5: Management of ponds of High Wildlife value (areas greater than 100 sq m)
CGS4: Herbal leys	CAHL2: Winter bird food on arable and horticultural land	OP3: Supplementary feeding for farmland birds
CHRW2: Manage hedgerows	CAHL3: Grassy field corners or blocks	SCR1: Create scrub and open habitat mosaics
CHRW4: Management of hedgerows	CAHL4: 4m to 12m grass buffer strip on arable and horticultural land	SCR2: Manage scrub and open habitat mosaics
CIGL1: Take grassland field corners or blocks out of management	CHRW2: Manage hedgerows	WD7: Maintenance of successional areas and scrub
CIGL3: 4m to 12m grass buffer strip on improved grassland	CHRW4: Management of hedgerows	WD8: Creation of successional areas and scrub
CIPM2: Flower-rich grass margins, blocks or in-field strips	CIGL1: Take grassland field corners or blocks out of management
CLIG3: Manage grassland with very low nutrient inputs	CIGL3: 4m to 12m grass buffer strip on improved grassland
CNUM3: Legume fallow	CLIG3: Manage grassland with very low nutrient inputs
CSAM3: Herbal leys	CWD3: Manage woodland edges on arable land
CWD7: Manage scrub and open habitat mosaics	CWD7: Manage scrub and open habitat mosaics
CWD8: Create scrub and open habitat mosaics	CWD8: Create scrub and open habitat mosaics
GRH1: Manage rough grazing for birds	GRH1: Manage rough grazing for birds
GRH10: Supplement: Lenient grazing	GRH10: Supplement: Lenient grazing
GS1: Take small areas out of management	GS1: Take small areas out of management
GS13: Management of grassland for target features	GS13: Management of grassland for target features
GS2: Permanent grassland with very low inputs (outside SDAs)	GS2: Permanent grassland with very low inputs (outside SDAs)
GS4: Legume and herb-rich swards	HRW2: Manage hedgerows
HRW2: Manage hedgerows	IGL1: Take improved grassland field corners or blocks out of management
IGL1: Take improved grassland field corners or blocks out of management	IGL3: 4m to 12m grass buffer strip on improved grassland
IGL3: 4m to 12m grass buffer strip on improved grassland	LIG1: Manage grassland with very low nutrient inputs (outside SDAs)
IGS4: establish and maintain herbal leys on at least 15% of land in this level of the standard	OP2: Wild bird seed mixture
IPM2: Flower-rich grass margins, blocks, or in-field strips	SCR1: Create scrub and open habitat mosaics
LIG1: Manage grassland with very low nutrient inputs (outside SDAs)	SCR2: Manage scrub and open habitat mosaics
NUM3: Legume fallows	SW1: 4-6m buffer strip on cultivated land
OFA1: Overwinter stubble (organic land)	SW2: 4-6m buffer strip on intensive grassland
OFA3: Supplementary winter bird food (organic land)	SW4: 12m to 24m watercourse buffer strip on cultivated land
OP1: Overwintered stubble	WB1: Small Wildlife Box
OP2: Wild bird seed mixture	WB2: Medium Wildlife Box
OP3: Supplementary feeding for farmland birds	WB3: Large Wildlife Box
OP4: Multi species ley	WBD3: In-field grass strips
SAM3: Herbal leys	WD7: Maintenance of successional areas and scrub
SCR1: Create scrub and open habitat mosaics	WD8: Creation of successional areas and scrub
SCR2: Manage scrub and open habitat mosaics	WN2: Creation of scrapes and gutters
SW1: 4-6m buffer strip on cultivated land	WT4: Management of ponds of High Wildlife value (first 100 sq m)
SW2: 4-6m buffer strip on intensive grassland	WT5: Management of ponds of High Wildlife value (areas greater than 100 sq m)
SW4: 12m to 24m watercourse buffer strip on cultivated land
WBD3: In-field grass strips
WD3: Woodland edges on arable land
WD7: Maintenance of successional areas and scrub
WD8: Creation of successional areas and scrub
WN2: Creation of scrapes and gutters
WT4: Management of ponds of High Wildlife value (first 100 sq m)
WT5: Management of ponds of High Wildlife value (areas greater than 100 sq m)

4.4 Required trajectory

The required number of farm businesses supporting farm wildlife has been calculated through to 2030.

This trajectory considers required uptake of agri-environment schemes within the timeframe, however, information on future schemes is not currently available. Therefore, this should not be assumed to reflect future scheme availability.

Figure 3: Required number of farm businesses contributing to Farm Wildlife to 2030, percent

Source: Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs

5. Metadata

Objective	Farm Wildlife
Related commitments	Statutory species abundance targets
Reporting status	Final
Contributing schemes	CS, CSHT, SFI
Aggregation method	Agreements live as at the capture date
Geographical scope	England
First reported	October 2026
Last updated	October 2026