188体育

Duration

3 years

How much you鈥檒l be paid

拢853 per hectare (ha) per year

Action鈥檚 aim

This action鈥檚 aim is that there鈥檚 an established winter bird food mix growing in blocks or strips, with plants that:

• grow and flower during the spring and summer months
• set seed to produce a supply of small seeds from late autumn until late winter

The purpose of this is to:

• provide food resources for smaller farmland birds, especially in late autumn and winter
• encourage flowering plants in the summer, which will benefit insects including bumblebees, solitary bees, butterflies and hoverflies
• support an integrated pest management approach if located close to cropped areas

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 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
Permanent crops 鈥� horticultural	Permanent crops	TC01

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聽鈥�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聽鈥楲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 action is rotational or static. 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 winter bird food mix as a block or strip on land entered into this action.

You must use a seed mix which includes at least 6 small seed-bearing crops, which are suitable for smaller farmland bird species. The mix must not include:

• artichokes
• reed canary grass
• giant and intermediate sorghum
• maize
• miscanthus
• sweet clover
• tic beans

If you sow an annual mix, it can include a range of cereals, brassicas or other small-seeded crops. If you sow a 2-year mix, it can also include biennial crops such as kale, stubble turnip or teasel.

Once the winter bird food mix block or strip 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鈥檚 aim.

You must re-establish a 1-year mix annually and 2-year mixes every other year, so they continue to produce an extended supply of small seeds. This can be at the same location or a different location.

You must not use the winter bird food mix block or strip for regular vehicular access, turning or storage (for example, storing bales or machinery).

You can maintain an existing winter bird food mix block or strip 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 option, such as Countryside Stewardship (CS) option AB9 (winter bird food)

When to do it

You must:

• establish the winter bird food mix block or strip in time for it to flower in the first summer after sowing (usually this means by the end of June)
• maintain the mix at the same location until late winter (usually around the end of February) in the year after it was sown (for 1-year mixes) or the following year (for 2-year mixes)

If this action鈥檚 start date means it鈥檚 too late to establish the winter bird food mix, you must establish it within 12 months of your action鈥檚 start date.

If you establish the winter bird food mix block or strip after the end of June, you must maintain it at the same location for 2 consecutive winters in order to achieve this action鈥檚 aim.

In the final year of this action鈥檚 duration, you must do this action either until late winter, 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, including details of the seed mix used
• 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, OFC4, OFC5, OFM4, OFM5, OFM6, AGF1, AGF2, PRF1, PRF2, PRF4, SOH1, SOH2, SOH3, CIPM1, CIPM3, CIPM4, CNUM1, CSAM1
SFI 2023 actions	SAM1, IPM1, IPM3, IPM4, NUM1
CS options	HS3, HS9, OR3, OR4, OR5, OT3, OT4, OT5
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 apply for one of the following supplemental actions if CAHL2 (or AHL2 in the SFI23 offer) is included in your agreement:鈥�

• AHW2: Supplementary winter bird food
• OFA3: Supplementary winter bird food (organic)

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 seed mix聽

This action explains (under 鈥榃hat to do鈥�):

• the minimum requirement for small seed-bearing crops in the seed mix
• which crops you must not use in the seed mix
• you can use an annual mix or 2-year mix 鈥� both provide food for a range of farmland birds, such as finches, buntings, sparrows and partridges

Cereal crops you could use include:聽聽聽

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

Brassica crops you could use include:聽

• fodder radish
• forage rape
• gold of pleasure
• kale
• mustard
• stubble turnip

Your seed supplier can help you choose a seed mix that鈥檚 the best match for your land and local conditions.聽

Where to sow the seed mix

When you establish the winter bird food mix, 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.

It will usually help if you sow the winter bird food mix block or strips on sites that:

• receive plenty of sunlight, to help the plants establish
• are weed-free, as a high weed burden will affect crop establishment
• are close to nesting, roosting and other farmland bird feeding habitats, where possible
• are next to a field edge, but they can extend into the field
• are away from buildings to reduce the risk of vermin

You can choose to locate the winter bird food mix blocks or strips to square up cultivated areas which could help to speed up farm operations.

You can use larger blocks or strips (between around 0.4 hectares (ha) and 5ha) to:

• allow more seeds to remain undiscovered for longer
• extend the area鈥檚 value well into winter.

How and when to sow the seed mix聽

Your seed supplier can advise you on an overall sowing rate for the seed mix you choose.

It will usually help the seeds to germinate if you sow the seed mix:

• into a seedbed that鈥檚 firm, consolidated, fine, level and weed free
• when the weather and soil moisture is suitable for the crops in your seed mix 鈥� this will usually be between March and June (depending on the crops in your mix)

You can either:

• broadcast the seeds onto the surface of the seedbed to help germination
• shallow-drill the seeds up to a depth of 1 centimetre (cm) 鈥� small seeds usually struggle to germinate when sown deeper than 1cm

After you have sown the seed mix, you can roll the seeds (if the soil is dry enough) to improve:

• seed-to-soil contact
• retain moisture
• reduce the risk of slug damage

Managing the winter bird food blocks or strips during establishment聽

Around 4 weeks after sowing, it鈥檚 advisable to check the block or strip for germination. If establishment is poor, you may need to re-sow part or all the block or strip. Your seed supplier can help you if you鈥檙e unsure what to do.

Maintaining established blocks or strips聽

Once the block or strip is established, this action requires you to to maintain it by managing it in a way that can reasonably be expected to achieve this action鈥檚 aim.

To help you achieve the action鈥檚 aim, you may need to do the following, as necessary:

• re-sow the area, so it continues to produce an extended supply of small seeds 鈥� an annual mix will need to be re-sown every year and 2-year mixes every other year
• apply fertiliser, so the crops grow sufficiently to smother annual weeds and produce a supply of small seeds from late autumn until late winter (usually around mid-February)
• control pests, such as flea beetle, slugs, rabbits, corvids and pigeons
• control weeds where a high weed burden may cause poor seed production of the sown crops 鈥� to avoid damaging the sown crops, you can apply herbicides or remove the weeds by hand