CIGL1: Take grassland field corners or blocks out of management - GOV.UK

Contents

1. Duration
2. How much you’ll be paid
3. Action’s aim
4. Where you can do this action
5. Eligible land
6. Eligibility of protected land
7. Available area you can enter into this action
8. Rotational or static action
9. What to do
10. When to do it
11. How to do it
12. Evidence to keep
13. Other actions or options you can do with this action
14. Advice to help you do this action
15. Where to locate the unmanaged field corners or blocks
16. Managing field corners or blocks

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

£333 per hectare (ha) per year

Action’s aim

This action’s aim is that there are grassland field corners or blocks taken 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 agricultural land located below the moorland line that’s:

• an eligible land type (as defined in section 5.1 ‘Eligible land types for SFI’ 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 ‘limited area’ action. The total eligible area you enter into any combination of one of more of the ‘limited area’ actions must not be more than 25% of the total agricultural area of your farm.

Read section 1.3 ‘SFI actions with a limited area’ in the SFI scheme information for more details (including a list of the ‘limited area’ actions).

Eligible land

Eligibility of protected land

• Land or features with protection: Sites of special scientific interest (SSSIs)
• Eligibility: Eligible – you must get SSSI consent before you do this action (read section 10.3 ‘SSSI consent’ in the SFI scheme information to find out how to do this)
• Land or features with protection: Historic and archaeological features
• Eligibility: Ineligible – you must not enter any area with an historic or archaeological feature into this action. This only affects the area where the feature is located in a land parcel. You can apply for this action on the remaining area in the land parcel if it’s eligible.

Available area you can enter into this action

Part of the available area in a land parcel.

Rotational or static action

This action is static. This means you must do it at the same location each year of this action’s duration.

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 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, or nettles
• carry out activities that may disturb breeding birds or damage nests as birds, nests and eggs are protected by law
• apply any fertilisers, manures or lime
• apply pesticides, except for herbicides to weed wipe or spot treat to control injurious weeds, invasive non-native species, or nettles

You can maintain existing grassy field corners or blocks to get paid for this action, if they meet this action’s requirements.

When to do it

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

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 evidence to show what you’ve done to complete this action, such as:

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

If it’s not clear that you’ve 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 with 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.

Where to locate the unmanaged field corners or blocks

You can choose to locate the unmanaged field corner or block on areas:

• which are less productive or difficult to reach with machinery
• to square up cultivated areas which could help to speed up farm operations
• close to existing nectar and pollen sources to benefit insects, or existing winter bird food sources to benefit farmland birds
• close to cropped areas to help with an integrated pest management (IPM) approach – for example, once tussocky grass develops, it can provide habitat for ladybirds which eat aphids
• close to existing habitat (such as woodland, hedgerows, waterbodies, heathland, fallow land, wildflower-rich grassland) to help farmland wildlife to move across your land

To create a network of habitats, you can have a number of smaller areas (for example between 0.5 hectares (ha) and 1ha) spaced as evenly as possible across your land. For example, you could space 5 blocks of 0.5ha evenly across 100ha to allow pollinators, flying insects and birds to move between the areas.

Managing field corners or blocks

This action requires you to not cut or graze the grassland field corners or blocks with livestock. You can use temporary fencing to prevent livestock accessing the grassland. You can apply for a capital grant for fencing to help you do this.

You may need to control weeds when they appear. To control injurious weeds or invasive non-natives, soft and hard rush, or nettles, this action allows you to:

• carry out localised cutting
• use herbicides to spot-treat or weed wipe

You can also control weeds by removing entire plants by hand before they have finished flowering.

Published 21 May 2024 Last updated 5 August 2024 + show all updates

1. 30 July 2024

Where you can do this action - an eligible land type is defined in section 5.1 ‘Eligible land types for SFI’ in the SFI scheme information. Eligibility of protected land - updated link to section 10.3 ‘SSSI consent’ in the SFI scheme information. You can apply for this action on the area in a land parcel that does not contain an historic or archaeological feature. What to do - added link to Capital Grants guidance. Added link to GOV.UK guidance on birds, nests and eggs being protected by law. Published voluntary advice to help you do this action, but it's not part of this action’s requirements.

1. 21 May 2024

First published.