CLIG3: Manage grassland with very low nutrient inputs

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

£151 per hectare (ha) per year

Action’s aim

This action’s aim is that there’s grassland which produces a sward with:

• flowering grasses and wildflowers from late spring and during the summer months
• a variety of plant heights by autumn
• some covering of flowering grasses and wildflowers left to go to seed
• tussocky grass allowed to develop

The purpose of this is to:

• provide nectar and shelter for invertebrates and a food supply for farmland birds
• support an integrated pest management approach if located close to cropped areas
• minimise nutrients being carried in surface water runoff to watercourses

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

Eligible land

Eligibility of protected land

Available area you can enter into this action

Total available area in a land parcel, apart from if CIGL1 (take grassland field corners or blocks out of management) is located in the same land parcel. In this case CLIG3 can be on part of the available area.

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 minimise the use of nutrient inputs on the grassland entered into this action by applying no more than either:

• 12 tonnes per ha of cattle farmyard manure
• equivalent amounts of available nutrients as fertiliser or in other organic manures as an alternative to cattle farmyard manure

You must also do the following on the grassland:

• graze it with livestock or cut it in a way that can reasonably be expected to achieve this action’s aim
• minimise bare ground, so the soil is covered by vegetation and is not directly exposed to the elements

There must be an intact grass sward throughout the year, without compacted areas or poaching. You can carry out supplementary feeding of livestock on the grassland, but you must make sure this does not cause poaching.

You must not do the following on the grassland:

• apply digestate or any other industrial by-product, including paper waste
• carry out mechanical activities, including hay and silage cutting, in a way that may disturb breeding birds or damage nests as birds, nests and eggs are protected by law
• carry out drainage works
• plough, cultivate or re-seed it
• apply pesticides, except for herbicides to weed wipe or spot treat to control injurious weeds, invasive non-native species, or nettles
• allow areas of scrub to develop on land with historic or archaeological features

If you cut the grassland for conserved forage, you must:

• not graze or cut it for a continuous period of at least 7 weeks during the spring and summer months before taking the forage cut, to allow the sward to develop flowering grasses and wildflowers
• in each land parcel, leave an uncut margin around the edge of the area entered into this action when it’s cut for conserved forage, to help provide shelter for invertebrates

After you’ve cut the area for conserved forage, you must manage it in a way that can reasonably be expected to achieve this action’s aim.

If you’re already managing grassland with very low nutrient inputs, you can use it to get paid for this action if it:

• meets this action’s requirements
• is not already being paid for under another environmental land management scheme agreement option, such as Countryside Stewardship (CS) option GS2 (permanent grassland with very low inputs (outside SDAs)) or GS5 (permanent grassland with very low inputs (SDAs))

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 one of the following supplemental actions (unless indicated otherwise) on land entered into this base action:

• GRH7: Hay making supplement – you can also do GRH11 on the same area as GRH7
• GRH8: Hay making supplement (late cut) – you can also do GRH11 on the same area as GRH8
• GRH10 (lenient grazing supplement)
• GRH11: Cattle grazing supplement (non-moorland) – you can also do GRH7 or GRH8 on the same area as GRH11
• SPM2: Keep native breeds on grazed habitats supplement (50-80%)
• SPM3: Keep native breeds on grazed habitats supplement (more than 80%)

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.

Minimising your use of nutrients

To help you plan how to manage the grassland with very low nutrient inputs, you may find it helpful to do CNUM1 (assess nutrient management and produce a review report).

If you’re already managing the grassland with very low nutrient inputs (below the thresholds required by this action), try not to increase inputs above your current levels.

To get the most environmental benefits, you can choose to remove all nutrient inputs. You can use well-rotted farmyard manure to replace nutrients lost by cutting and removing hay or haylage.

Make sure you follow the farming rules for water. These require you to take steps to stop manure, fertiliser or soil getting into waterbodies and watercourses.

Managing grassland

It’s up to you how you graze or cut the grassland, as long as it:

• meets this action’s requirements
• is done in a way that can reasonably be expected to achieve this action’s aim

Grazing with livestock

If you’re grazing the grassland (and not cutting it for conserved forage), you can do the following to help you achieve this action’s aim:

• start grazing the area when the average sward height is around 10-12 centimetres (cm)
• try to maintain an average sward height of around 5cm, with a mix of taller and shorter heights
• remove livestock when the average sward height falls below around 5cm
• use paddock grazing or temporary electric fencing to manage grazing on different parts of the fields - sward productivity may deteriorate over time, so rotating areas can help with this

You can increase the benefits for wildlife by leaving a longer sward through the summer and following winter. For example, you can maintain a higher average sward height of around 8cm or more, with:

• some taller areas (over 10cm tall), to provide invertebrate habitat and let plants flower and set seed
• some shorter areas (less than 10cm tall), to make it easier for birds to find food

To find out more about measuring swards and planning how to manage grazing, read AHDB’s guidance on planning grazing strategies for better returns.

Cutting the grassland

If you’re cutting the grassland, but it’s not for conserved forage, you can do the following to help you achieve this action’s aim:

• vary the cutting dates and height of each cut – this will create a range of cut and uncut sward heights
• if you’re not grazing the grassland, vary the cutting height within each area to avoid leaving large blocks at a uniform height

If possible, you can remove the cut vegetation to help:

• reduce the risk of it smothering grass species
• remove nutrients, which can prevent weeds from growing

If it’s impractical to remove the cut vegetation, you can leave finely chopped cuttings, spread as thinly as possible.

If you’re cutting the grassland for conserved forage, you can do this after the plants have flowered and set seed. This will usually mean cutting from around either:

• the end of June in lowland areas (outside severely disadvantaged areas)
• mid-July in upland areas, where the grass growth is often slower

Before cutting, check for signs of nesting birds. Birds, nests and eggs are protected by law, so if you see signs of nesting birds, delay cutting until the birds fledge.

After you have cut for conserved forage, you can graze the aftermath or take a second cut in late summer or early autumn and remove the cuttings.

How to minimise bare ground and compaction

To minimise bare ground and reduce the risk of compacted areas or poaching, you can consider doing some or all of the following, as relevant:

• remove livestock or reduce numbers when the ground is wet
• move feeders and temporary water troughs (when weather and ground conditions allow) to manage the way livestock move around the area
• remove heavier livestock (such as cattle) in the winter
• supplementary feed livestock on drier fields (avoiding areas with historic or archaeological features) – ideally scatter feed on the ground rather than concentrating livestock around feeders
• avoid cutting the grassland for forage if the weather is wet
• avoid using machinery on saturated ground

[SFI]: Sustainable Farming Incentive [SSSIs]: sites of special scientific interest [SSSI]: site of special scientific interest [HEFER]: Historic Environment Farm Environment Record [CS]: Countryside Stewardship [SDAs]: severely disadvantaged areas [ES]: Environmental Stewardship [AHDB]: Agriculture and Horticulture Development Board