188体育

Duration

3 years

How much you鈥檒l be paid

拢1,072 per hectare (ha) per year

Action鈥檚 aim

This action鈥檚 aim is that there鈥檚 an open-structured, spring cereal crop which:

• is growing in strips or plots
• remains unharvested during the summer, autumn and winter months

The purpose of this is to:

• provide a summer food source for farmland birds and insects
• help establish a range of arable plants and other broad-leaved plants
• provide a habitat that鈥檚 present over the winter for insects and food for seed-eating farmland birds

Where you can do this action

You can do this action on agricultural land located below the moorland line that鈥檚:

• an eligible land type (as defined in section 5.1 鈥楨ligible land types for SFI鈥� in the SFI 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

This is a 鈥榣imited area鈥� action. The total eligible area you enter into any combination of one or more of the 鈥榣imited area鈥� actions must not be more than 25% of the total agricultural area of your farm. Read section 1.3 鈥�SFI actions with a limited area鈥� in the SFI scheme information for more details (including a list of 鈥榣imited area鈥� actions).

Eligible land

Eligible land type	Eligible land cover	Compatible land use code
Arable land used to grow spring cereal crops (not maize)	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

Protected land	Eligibility
Sites of special scientific interest (SSSIs)	Eligible 鈥� you must get SSSI consent before you do this action (read section 10.3鈥�鈥�SSSI 肠辞苍蝉别苍迟鈥� in the SFI scheme information to find out how to do this)
Historic and archaeological features	Eligible 鈥� you must get a SFI HEFER before you do this action (read section 5.6鈥�鈥楲and with historic or archaeological features鈥� in the SFI scheme information to find out how to do this)

Available area you can enter into this action

Part of the available area in a land parcel.

Rotational or static action

This is a rotational or static action 鈥� this means you can either:

• move its location for the second and third years of this action鈥檚 duration
• do it at the same location each year of this action鈥檚 duration

What to do

You must establish a spring cereal crop (not maize) in strips or plots at a seed rate that鈥檚 reduced to a level that can reasonably be expected to achieve this action鈥檚 aim.

As long as this action鈥檚 aim can reasonably be expected to be achieved, you can:

• undersow a seed mix into the spring cereal crop
• use a blend or mix of cereals

Once the cereal crops strips or plots are established, you must manage them in a way that can reasonably be expected to achieve this action鈥檚 aim. This will usually mean keeping them until around mid-February in the year after establishment.

You must not apply the following to the strips or plots:

• any fertilisers, manures or lime
• insecticides after around mid-March

You must not apply herbicides apart from those containing the following permitted active ingredients:

• amidosulfuron
• clodinafop-propargyl
• fenoxaprop-P-ethyl
• pinoxaden
• tri-allate

It may not be possible for you to use these permitted active ingredients on all crops. It鈥檚 your responsibility to confirm whether herbicides are approved for use on the affected crop.

You can use an existing spring cereal crop strip or plot to get paid for this action if it:

• meets this action鈥檚 requirements
• is not already being paid for under another environmental land management scheme action or option, such as CS option AB7 (whole crop cereals)

When to do it

You must do this action each year of its 3-year duration.

If this action鈥檚 start date means it鈥檚 too late to establish the cereal crop, you must sow it within 12 months of this action鈥檚 start date.

In the final year of this action鈥檚 duration, you must do the action until the end of the winter months or this action鈥檚 end date whichever is earlier.

How to do it

It鈥檚 up to you how you do this action, as long as you:

• follow this action鈥檚 requirements 鈥� these are identified by a 鈥榤ust鈥�
• do the action in a way that could reasonably be expected to achieve this action鈥檚 aim

You may find it helpful to read the 鈥榓dvice to help you do this action鈥�, but it鈥檚 not part of this action鈥檚 requirements.

Evidence to keep

You must keep evidence to show what you鈥檝e done to complete this action, such as:

• field operations at a land parcel level and associated invoices
• photographs or other documentation

If it鈥檚 not clear that you鈥檝e 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.

Some actions or options can only be done on the same area if they鈥檙e done at a different time of year to this action. For example, winter cover followed by a summer companion crop. Read 鈥榃hat to do鈥� and 鈥榃hen to do it鈥� to find out when this action must be done.

Scheme	Action or option codes
SFI 2024 actions	OFC3, OFM4, SOH1, AGF1, AGF2, PRF2, PRF4, CIPM1, CNUM1, CSAM1
SFI 2023 actions	IPM1, NUM1, SAM1
CS options	HS3, HS9, SW5, SW6, OR3, OT3
ES options	No ES revenue options
SFI pilot standards	No area-based SFI pilot standards

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 6 鈥楨ligible land in other funding schemes鈥� in the SFI 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 2024 actions: CHRW1, CHRW2, CHRW3, BND1, BND2 and WBD2
• SFI 2023 actions: HRW1, HRW2, HRW3
• CS option BE3 (management of hedgerows)
• the introductory level of the SFI pilot hedgerows standard

Advice to help you do this action

The following advice may help you to do this action, but it鈥檚 not part of this action鈥檚 requirements.

Choosing a spring cereal crop

It鈥檚 up to you which spring cereal crop (not maize) to use for this action.

If you鈥檙e undersowing a seed mix into the spring cereal crop, you can sow it either:

• at the same time as the spring cereal crop, using a mix of cereal and companion crops (including pulse crops, such as field beans, lupins and combining peas)
• as a separate pass into the spring cereal crop

Undersowing the spring cereal crop with a flowering companion crop mix can provide flower and insect-rich foraging habitat for farmland birds and pollinator species.

If you鈥檙e using a blend or mix of cereals, it can include crops such as:

• barley
• oats
• red millet
• rye
• triticale
• wheat
• white millet

Choosing the right location

When you establish the spring cereal crop, by law you cannot cultivate or apply fertilisers or pesticides to land within 2m of the centre of a hedgerow. Read the guidance on Hedgerow management rules; buffer strips to understand how these rules apply to you.

You can do this action on most soil types, but it鈥檚 best to choose a location with low levels of thistles or problem weeds such as black-grass. This can help the beneficial arable plants in the soil seedbank to:

• grow without competition
• provide a range of valuable habitats during the growing season

It can also support the arable flora to:

• set seed during the early summer period
• retain the insect-rich habitat for foraging farmland birds

How to sow the crop

To help you achieve this action鈥檚 aim, you can sow your spring cereal crop strips or plots at a seed rate that鈥檚 either:

• around 50% to 60% of the normal seed rate
• to a maximum of around 100 kilograms (kg) per hectare (ha) 鈥� for barley, oats, rye, triticale and wheat it鈥檚 usually between 70kg and 100kg per ha for red and white millet crops it鈥檚 usually between 10kg and 15kg per ha

It may also help if you sow your crop with wider spacing (for example, between 20cm and 25cm) between the rows.

To minimise damage to plants and wildlife you can:

• avoid carrying out in-crop mechanical activities between May and harvest
• sow your crop by the end of April, where possible