AHW2: Supplementary winter bird food

This is an action in the Sustainable Farming Incentive (SFI) scheme: expanded offer for 2024. You must read the SFI scheme information to understand the scheme rules and how to apply.

Duration

3 years

How much you’ll be paid

£732 per tonne per year – maximum of 1 tonne of supplementary winter bird food (action AHW2) for every 2 hectares (ha) of winter bird food (action CAHL2 in the expanded SFI offer or AHL2 in the SFI23 offer).

Action’s aim

This action’s aim is that over the winter until mid-spring there’s a mix of seeds spread on the ground at multiple feeding areas.

The purpose of this is to provide seed-eating farmland birds with supplementary food when:

• seed is in short supply in the late winter period (known as the hungry gap)
• their breeding season starts in early spring

Where you can do this action

You can only apply for this action if CAHL2 (winter bird food) or AHL2 in the SFI23 offer is included in your agreement. This action is not available for equivalent actions in a Countryside Stewardship agreement. This includes:

• OP2 (wild bird seed mixture)
• AB9 (winter bird food)

You must do this action on land that’s:

• firm and free draining, such as farm tracks or hard standing areas
• close to areas of existing winter bird food, enhanced overwinter stubbles or game cover

What to do

You must spread a winter supplementary feeding mix in a way that can reasonably be expected to achieve this action’s aim, including:

• dividing the total weight of mix as equally as possible between the multiple feeding areas
• spreading the mix at least once a week from over the winter until mid-spring in the following year (usually from early December to late April)

You must use a winter supplementary feeding seed mix that contains both:

• cereals (not maize) – these should make up no more than 70% of the total mix by weight
• small non-cereal seeds – these should make up at least 30% of the total mix by weight, with no individual species being more than 50% of the non-cereal element by weight

The small non-cereal seeds element must contain at least 3 of the following species:

• canary seed
• linseed
• oilseed rape
• red millet
• sunflowers
• white millet

You must not:

• use feed hoppers to supply more than around 10% of the seed mix during each feeding period (from later winter to mid-spring)
• use tailings (small seeds and chaff removed from the harvested crops) in the seed mix

You must keep a written ‘feeding diary’ which includes:

• details of the mix used, including the weight of the cereals and small non-cereal seeds elements and cost
• feeding dates
• method of feeding – spreading or hopper
• amount fed
• location of feeding areas

When to do it

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

If this action’s start date means it’s too late for you to do this action, you must start doing it within 12 months of the action’s start date.

In the final year of this action’s duration, you must do this action until mid-spring, or this action’s end date, whichever is earlier.

How to do it

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

• follow this action’s requirements – these are identified by a ‘must’
• do the action in a way that could reasonably be expected to achieve this action’s aim

You may find it helpful to read the ‘advice to help you do this action’, but it’s not part of this action’s requirements.

Evidence to keep

You must keep the required written feeding diary. This can be recorded on paper or electronically. You must supply this 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’re done at a different time of year to this action. For example, winter cover followed by a summer companion crop. Read ‘What to do’ and ‘When to do it’ to find out when this action must be done.

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 ‘Eligible land in other funding schemes’ 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’s not part of this action’s requirements.

Choosing a supplementary feeding seed mix

This action explains the minimum requirement for the winter supplementary feeding seed mix (under ‘What to do’).

An example seed mix could include:

• 50% wheat
• 20% naked oats
• 15% white millet
• 10% oilseed rape
• 5% sunflower hearts

Choosing the right location for feeding areas

When planning which feeding areas to use, check you can reach them regularly. This is important if bad weather will cause you problems travelling to them during the winter.

When to start spreading the feeding mix

It’s advisable to start spreading the winter supplementary feeding mix before the sown winter bird food runs out. This keeps farmland birds using the areas and prevents a dip in their winter condition.

How often to feed

This action requires you to feed at least once a week.

You can:

• feed smaller amounts of seed more often, to match the birds’ consumption
• stagger feeding over a number of days at different feeding areas

This can help to reduce:

• seed spoilage, so there’s a fresh supply of food to keep birds healthy
• the amount of feeding mix eaten by non-target species such as rodents, crows and pigeons – this is important when ground feeding or if hoppers are unprotected

Try to disperse the seed mix across the feeding area, instead of leaving it in piles.

How much to feed

This action requires you to divide the total weight of mix as equally as possible between the multiple feeding areas.

For example, to supply up to around 500 kilograms (kg) of seed at each feeding area you can spread the mix:

• so there’s an average of around 25kg at each feeding area during the feeding period – you can vary the amount of seed to match demand, so seed is not left uneaten
• once a week for 20 weeks – you may need to feed for longer if the winter period is extended due to bad weather, so birds are not left with a ‘hungry gap’ before natural seed resources become available

Keeping feeding sites clean

It’s important to keep feeding areas clean for the health of the birds.

To minimise the risk of disease and parasites spreading between birds using the feeding areas, you can:

• not spread the seed mix too thickly or leave it in piles – this can encourage the build-up of harmful parasites and attract non-target species such as rats
• limit the use of feed hoppers
• spin or scatter the seed mix to avoid creating feed piles or long trails
• stop feeding if there is a visible build-up of uneaten food – you can start again when the seed mix has been eaten
• move the location of feeding areas regularly

[SFI]: Sustainable Farming Incentive [CS]: Countryside Stewardship *[ES]: Environmental Stewardship