SFI actions for low input grassland
Read about the Sustainable Farming Incentive (SFI) actions for low input grassland, what land is eligible for each action and what you need to do to get paid.
Applies to England
This section contains the mandatory requirements for the Sustainable Farming Incentive (SFI) actions for low input grassland. These requirements are part of your SFI agreement.
You can choose which SFI actions to do and what area of eligible land to do them on. There are no mandatory combinations of actions, and minimum or maximum areas.
What we explain in each SFI action
The details of each SFI action explain:
- the action’s aim
- where you can do the action – this includes what land is eligible, whether it’s a rotational or static action, and which other environmental land management actions or options you can do on the same area within a land parcel (noting that it may also be possible to do part-parcel actions on another area within the same land parcel)
- what you need to do for the action
- when to do the action
- how to do the action – which is up to you, as long as it’s done in a way that could reasonably be expected to achieve the action’s aim
- what evidence to keep
SFI actions for low input grassland
The SFI actions for low input grassland are focused on improving the sustainability of grassland management, by reducing nutrient inputs and intensive livestock management.
There are 2 identical SFI actions with the same payment rate. One can be done on land outside the Severely Disadvantaged Areas (SDAs) and one can be done on land within the SDAs below the moorland line.
The actions are:
- LIG1: Manage grassland with very low nutrient inputs (outside SDAs)
- LIG2: Manage grassland with very low nutrient inputs (SDAs)
Managing grassland using very low inputs can:
- provide high-quality forage for livestock
- reduce spending on artificial fertiliser, herbicides and pesticides
- protect soil from erosion
It can also help to provide a range of environmental benefits, such as:
- providing habitat for farmland wildlife
- increasing species of wildflowers, which provide food for pollinators
- reducing the loss of nutrients and pesticides to watercourse and groundwater
- keeping soil healthy and carbon-rich
- improving air quality by reducing ammonia emissions from artificial fertiliser
LIG1: Manage grassland with very low nutrient inputs (outside SDAs) and LIG2: Manage grassland with very low nutrient inputs (SDAs)
What you’ll be paid
You’ll receive £151 per hectare (ha) per year (LIG1 and LIG2 have the same payment rate).
This action’s aim
This action’s aim (applicable to LIG1 and LIG2) is that the grassland produces a sward with:
- flowering grasses and wildflowers from late spring and during the summer months
- a variety of plant heights by autumn, with some covering of flowering grasses and wildflowers left to go to seed and tussocky grass allowed to develop
The purpose of this is to:
- provide nectar and shelter for invertebrates and a food supply for farmland birds
- support an Integrated Pest Management (IPM) approach if located close to cropped areas
- minimise nutrients being carried in surface water runoff to watercourses
Where you can do this action
You can do:
- LIG1 on eligible agricultural land outside SDAs
- LIG2 on eligible agricultural land in the SDAs that’s below the moorland line
The table below sets out what land is eligible for LIG1 and LIG2.
Eligible land for LIG1 and LIG2
| Eligible land type | Eligible land use code | Compatible land cover |
|---|---|---|
| Temporary grassland | TG01 | Arable land |
| Permanent grassland – improved and low input | PG01 | Permanent grassland |
The glossary explains what we mean by eligible land types, eligible land use codes and compatible land covers.
The SFI application service will automatically calculate what area may be eligible for LIG1 or LIG2 in each land parcel. This is called the ‘SFI available area’. You must check this area is an eligible land type. Find out how the SFI available area is calculated in the information on land that’s eligible for the SFI actions.
You can usually only apply for LIG1 or LIG2 on the total SFI available area in each land parcel shown in your SFI application. The only exception is when LIG1 or LIG2 are located on the same land parcel as IGL1 (take grassland field corners or blocks out of management).
LIG1 and LIG2 are static actions. You must do these actions on the same area of eligible land each year of your 3-year SFI agreement. You cannot move the area each year.
Other land management actions or options you can do on the same area as LIG1 and LIG2
The table below sets out which other SFI actions, Countryside Stewardship (CS) management options, Environmental Stewardship (ES) revenue options and SFI pilot standards can be located on the same eligible area within a land parcel as LIG1 and LIG2.
Actions or options that can be located on the same area as LIG1 and LIG2
| Scheme | Action or option codes that can be located on the same area within a land parcel as LIG1 and LIG2 |
|---|---|
| SFI 2023 | SAM1, IPM1, NUM1 |
| CS | OR1, OR2, OT1, OT2, SW15, SW16 (and for LIG1 only – SW17, SW18) |
| ES | No ES revenue options |
| SFI pilot | No area-based SFI pilot standards |
Use the CS grant finder to search for the CS option codes shown above.
The SFI actions for hedgerows (HRW1, HRW2 and HRW3), CS option BE3 and the introductory level of the SFI pilot hedgerows standard can be done on the eligible boundaries of a land parcel entered into LIG1 or LIG2.
If an action or option cannot be located on the same area within a land parcel as LIG1 or LIG2, this is because it’s not an eligible land type, or the activities are incompatible, or you would be paid twice for doing the same activities on the same land. In this case, that area will be automatically removed from the affected land parcel’s SFI available area in your SFI application.
If this is the case, you may be able to do the action on a different area in the same land parcel if:
- it’s an eligible land type for the action or option
- it’s a part-parcel action or option
- the area used for the action or option does not overlap with the area used for LIG1 or LIG2
Read the information about eligibility of land used for other schemes and funding sources to find out more.
What to do
You must minimise the use of nutrient inputs on the grassland entered into LIG1 or LIG2 by applying no more than either:
- 12 tonnes per ha of cattle farmyard manure
- equivalent amounts of available nutrients as fertiliser or in other organic manures as an alternative to cattle farmyard manure
You must also do the following on the grassland entered into LIG1 and LIG2:
- graze it with livestock or cut it in a way that can reasonably be expected to achieve this action’s aim
- minimise bare ground, so the soil is covered by vegetation and is not directly exposed to the elements
There must be an intact grass sward throughout the year, without compacted areas or poaching. You can carry out supplementary feeding of livestock on the grassland, but you must make sure this does not cause poaching.
You must not do the following on the grassland:
- apply digestate or any other industrial by-product, including paper waste
- carry out mechanical activities, including hay and silage cutting, in a way that may disturb breeding birds or damage nests
- carry out drainage works
- plough, cultivate or re-seed it
- use pesticides, except for herbicides to weed wipe or spot treat for the control of injurious weeds, invasive non-native species, nettles or bracken
- allow areas of scrub to develop on land with historic or archaeological features
If the grassland will be cut for conserved forage, you must:
- not graze or cut it for a continuous period of at least 7 weeks during the spring and summer months before taking the forage cut, to allow the sward to develop flowering grasses and wildflowers
- leave an uncut margin around the edge of the land parcel when it’s cut for conserved forage, to help provide shelter for invertebrates
After you’ve cut the area for conserved forage, you must manage it in a way that can reasonably be expected to achieve this action’s aim.
If you’re already managing grassland with very low nutrient inputs, you can use it to meet this action if it:
- meets the requirements explained above
- is not already being paid for under another ELM scheme agreement option, such as CS option GS2 (permanent grassland with very low inputs – outside SDAs) or GS5 (permanent grassland with very low inputs – SDAs)
When to do it
You must do your chosen actions (LIG1 or LIG2) each year of your 3-year SFI agreement.
How to do it
It’s up to you how you complete LIG1 or LIG2, as long as you do it in a way that can reasonably be expected to achieve this action’s aim.
You may find it helpful to read the voluntary guidance on how to manage grassland with very low nutrient inputs, but you do not have to follow it.
What evidence to keep
You should keep evidence to show what you’ve done to complete the action (LIG1 or LIG2). This will help if it’s not clear that you’ve completed the action (LIG1 or LIG2) in a way that could reasonably be expected to achieve this action’s aim. You must supply this evidence if we ask for it.
This evidence could include photographs and other documentation to show what you’ve done to complete this action. It could also include field operations at a land parcel level and associated invoices.
If you choose to take photographs, read the guidance on how to take photographic evidence for SFI actions.
Last updated 18 September 2023 + show all updates
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Link added to voluntary guidance.
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First published.