IGL1 - Take grassland field corners or blocks out of management

IGL1 - Take Grassland Field Corners or Blocks Out of Management

Payment

You’ll receive £333 per hectare per year.

Aim

This action aims to take grassland field corners or blocks out of management so tussocky grass can develop. The purpose of this is to:

Provide year-round habitat for a range of wildlife.
Support an IPM approach if located close to cropped areas.

Where You Can Do This Action

You can do this action on eligible agricultural land located below the moorland line. The table below sets out what land is eligible for IGL1.

Table 32: Eligible land for IGL1

Eligible land type	Eligible land use code	Compatible land cover
Temporary grassland	TG01	Arable land
Improved permanent grassland	PG01	Permanent grassland

The glossary (annex C) explains what we mean by land types, land use codes and compatible land covers.

The SFI application service will automatically calculate what area may be eligible for this action 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 (section 4.1.2).

You can apply for this action on either the total SFI available area in each land parcel shown in your SFI application, or part of that area. However, this action is normally intended to be done on part of a land parcel as a field corner or block.

For SFI applications submitted on or after 26 March 2024, this is a ‘limited area’ action. The total eligible area you enter into any combination of one or more of the ‘limited area’ actions must not be more than 25% of the total agricultural area of your farm.

Read the guidance on ‘SFI actions with an area limit’ (at the start of section 2) for more information and a list of the ‘limited area’ SFI actions.

This action is static. You must do this action on the same area of eligible land each year of your 3-year SFI agreement. You cannot move the area each year.

You must not enter any area within a land parcel into this action that contains historic or archaeological features identified in your SFI HEFER. Read the information about historic and archaeological features, including scheduled monuments (section 4.3.2) to find out more about the SFI HEFER.

Other Land Management Actions or Options You Can Do on the Same Area as IGL1

The table below sets out which other SFI actions, CS management options, ES revenue options and SFI pilot standards can be located on the same eligible area within a land parcel as IGL1.

Table 33: Actions or options that can be located on the same area within a land parcel as IGL1

Scheme	Action or option codes that can be located on the same area as IGL1
SFI 2023	SAM1, IPM1, NUM1
CS	OR1, OR3, OT1, OT3, 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 IGL1.

If an action or option cannot be located on the same area within a land parcel as IGL1, 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 IGL1

Read the information about eligibility of land used for other schemes and funding sources (section 4.2) to find out more.

What To Do

You must leave grassland field corners or blocks entered into this action unmanaged, so they’re uncut and un-grazed.

You must not do the following on the unmanaged grassland field corners or blocks:

graze them with livestock – you can apply for CS Capital Grants for fencing to help you do this
cut them, except for localised cutting to control injurious weeds or invasive non-natives, soft or hard rush, nettles or bracken
carry out activities that may disturb breeding birds or damage nests
apply any fertilisers, manures or lime
use pesticides, except for herbicides to spot-treat or weed-wipe for the control of injurious weeds or invasive non-natives, soft and hard rush, nettles or bracken

When to Do It

You must do this action each year of your 3-year SFI agreement.

How to Do It

It’s up to you how you complete this action, 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 take grassland field corners or blocks out of management, but you do not have to follow it.

What Evidence to Keep

You should keep evidence to show what you’ve done to complete this action. This will help if it’s not clear that you’ve completed the action 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 (annex A).

Contains public sector information licensed under the Open Government Licence v3.0. Source: SFI Handbook for the SFI 2023 Offer