CIPM1: Assess integrated pest management and produce a plan

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

£1,129 for the assessment and plan per year

Action’s aim

This action’s aim is that you:

• understand the benefits, costs, impacts and risks of your current approach to crop pest, weed and disease management for your land
• effectively plan how to adopt a range of integrated pest management (IPM) methods appropriate to your farm

Where you can do this action

You can do this action on all agricultural land located below the moorland line. The IPM assessment and plan should cover all of the relevant areas of your farm.

This is an ‘agreement level’ SFI action. This means you apply to include it in your agreement instead of entering specific areas of land.

You can only apply for this action:

• if at least one land parcel is linked to your Single Business Identifier (SBI), so it’s shown on your digital maps
• in one SFI agreement – once you’ve included it in an agreement, you cannot apply for this action again until after its 3-year duration in that agreement ends

Eligibility of protected land

Available area you can enter into this action

Not applicable as this is an agreement level SFI action.

Rotational or static action

Not applicable as this is an agreement level SFI action.

What to do

You must arrange for a member of the BASIS Professional Register who’s qualified with the relevant BASIS Certificate in Crop Protection for the crops you’re growing (a ‘BASIS qualified adviser’) to visit your farm to:

• assess your current approach to crop pest, weed and disease management for your land
• identify and discuss opportunities for using IPM on that land
• help you to produce a written IPM plan

You must make sure that the BASIS qualified adviser does what’s required above.

If you’re a BASIS qualified adviser, as defined above, you can complete this action yourself.

You can use an existing written IPM plan, informed by an IPM assessment, to get paid for this action if it was:

• carried out by a BASIS qualified adviser
• written within the last 12 months

When to do it

You must make sure that a BASIS qualified adviser visits your farm to:

• complete the IPM assessment and help you produce a written IPM plan within 12 months of this action’s start date
• reassess your approach to crop pest, weed and disease management and review your written IPM plan in each subsequent year of this action’s 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:

• a written record of your IPM plan, including the IPM assessment
• evidence that the adviser is a BASIS qualified adviser, such as their name and BASIS registration number

You must supply this 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.

Scheme | Action or option codes |
---|---|---
SFI actions | All SFI actions, except CMOR1 or MOR1 |
CS options | All CS management options |
ES options | All ES revenue options |
SFI pilot standards | All SFI pilot standards |

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.

Finding a ‘BASIS qualified adviser’

You can use the BASIS ‘Find an Adviser’ tool to help you find a BASIS qualified adviser.

Completing an IPM assessment

You can choose how the BASIS qualified adviser completes this action’s IPM assessment. There is no standard format.

You can find more general guidance about IPM which may help with the assessment in the following:

• Agriculture and Horticulture Development Board’s (AHDB) IPM hub
• Linking Environment and Farming’s (LEAF) ‘Simply Sustainable Integrated Pest Management’ guidance

You may also find it helpful to read the Agricultural Industries Confederation’s (AIC) examples of opportunities for using IPM, which have been promoted by the Voluntary Initiative in:

• arable farming
• horticulture

Producing a written IPM plan

You can choose how to produce this action’s written IPM plan. There is no standard format. You may find it helpful to use the Voluntary Initiative’s IPM plan templates.

Your written IPM plan could include information such as how you could use an IPM approach to help minimise risks associated with the use of plant protection products. For example:

• using crop rotations
• using resistant crop varieties
• establishing habitat for natural crop pest predators close to cropped area, such as flower-rich grass margins
• using companion cropping

[SFI]: Sustainable Farming Incentive [IPM]: integrated pest management [SBI]: Single Business Identifier [SSSIs]: sites of special scientific interest [SSSI]: site of special scientific interest [HEFER]: Historic Environment Farm Environment Record [CS]: Countryside Stewardship [ES]: Environmental Stewardship [AHDB]: Agriculture and Horticulture Development Board [LEAF]: Linking Environment and Farming