188体育

Duration

3 years

How much you鈥檒l be paid

拢129 per hectare (ha) per year

Action鈥檚 aim

This action鈥檚 aim is that there鈥檚 a multi-species cover crop that鈥檚:

• well-established over the winter months
• present between harvesting a cash crop and establishing the next cash crop

The purpose of this is to:

• protect the soil surface
• provide root growth that benefits soil structure
• supports soil biology and minimises nutrient leaching, soil erosion and runoff

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

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

Total or 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 multi-species cover crop on land entered into this action which will not be harvested as a 鈥榗ash crop鈥�.

A 鈥榗ash crop鈥� means a crop grown to be harvested for commercial use.

You must establish the multi-species cover crop early enough so it can reasonably be expected to achieve this action鈥檚 aim.

You must use a seed mix that contains at least 2 species from 2 or more of the following plant families:

• brassicas
• legumes
• cereals or grasses
• herbs

You must avoid growing deep rooted species on any area within a land parcel with historic or archaeological features identified in your SFI HEFER. Read section 5.6鈥�鈥楲and with historic or archaeological features鈥� in the SFI scheme information for more details.鈥�

You must maintain the multi-species cover crop over the winter months in a way that can reasonably be expected to achieve this action鈥檚 aim. You can graze the cover crop with livestock, but it must still be well-established over the winter months.

For the purposes of this action鈥檚 aim, the cover crop will be well-established if there鈥檚:

• leafy vegetation that鈥檚 sufficiently well grown so the cover crop protects the soil surface for the duration of the winter months (usually from early December until late February)
• minimal bare soil

If something happens which means you cannot complete this action, you must tell the Rural Payments Agency about this in writing as soon as possible. For example, if there鈥檚 prolonged adverse weather which means the cover crop is not well-established. Read section 13.2 鈥榃hat you must do if you cannot comply with your agreement鈥� in the SFI scheme information to find out how to do this.

You must not do the following on the well-established cover crop:

• mechanically apply any fertilisers or manures
• destroy it before the end of the winter months, unless you鈥檙e establishing an early-sown spring crop

If you鈥檙e establishing an early-sown spring crop, you may destroy the multi-species cover crop before the end of the winter months. You must not do this more than 6 weeks before you establish the early-sown spring crop.

When you destroy the multi-species cover crop, you should try to minimise risks such as compaction, poaching, soil runoff or erosion.

You can maintain an existing multi-species cover crop 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 鈥� you can use a cover crop paid for under SOH3 (multi-species summer-sown cover crop) to meet this action, but only if you overseed it

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 for you to do this action, you must start doing it within 12 months of the action鈥檚 start date.

In the final year of this action鈥檚 duration, you must do this 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, 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	AHW5, AHW10, AHW11, OFA6, OFC3, OFC4, OFM4, OFM5, AGF1, AGF2, PRF1, PRF2, PRF3, PRF4, SOH1, SOH2, SOH3, CIPM1, CIPM3, CIPM4, CNUM1, CSAM1
SFI 2023 actions	IPM1, IPM3, IPM4, NUM1, SAM1
CS options	AB5, AB11, AB14, HS3, HS9, OP5, OR3, OR4, OT3, OT4
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 seed mix聽聽

This action explains the minimum requirement for species in the seed mix (under 鈥榃hat to do鈥�). Table 1 shows examples of what you could use.

Table 1: Species you could use

Plant family	Species
Brassicas	Yellow mustard, brown mustard, oil radish, tillage radish, stubble turnip, kale
Legumes	Common vetch, hairy vetch, red clover, white clover, alsike clover, sweet clover, crimson clover, lucerne, black meddick, peas and beans
Cereals or grasses	Italian ryegrass, festulolium, black oats, forage rye, barley, winter triticale
Herbs	Phacelia, buckwheat, linseed

Choosing a varied mix (with multiple species from different plant families and with different characteristics) will normally bring greater benefits to your soil.

If you鈥檙e in an area with a shorter growing season you may need to choose plants that germinate and grow in cooler weather.

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

You may find it helpful to read the Agriculture and Horticulture Development Board (AHDB) .

Where to establish the cover crop

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

How to sow the cover crop聽

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

To help the cover crop achieve this action鈥檚 aim, it will usually help to sow the seed mix into warm soils. Depending on the species in your mix, this will be late summer or early autumn.

You can drill or broadcast the seed mix. Drilling seeds is usually more reliable and gives a higher germination success than broadcasting. However, broadcasting is cheaper.

After you have sown the seed mix you can roll the seeds if the soil is dry enough. This can help to:

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

How to destroy the cover crop聽

If you鈥檙e destroying the cover crop after the winter months, it鈥檚 up to you what method you use.