OFM6: Organic land management – top fruit - GOV.UK

What you must do to get paid for this action and advice on how to do it.

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 on the same area as this action

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

£1,920 per hectare (ha) per year

Action’s aim

This action’s aim is that orchards which produce top fruit and permanent bush crops are maintained under organic management.

The purpose of this is to:

• improve soil health
• increase biodiversity
• improve water quality

Where you can do this action

You can do this action on land located below the moorland line that’s:

• registered as ‘fully organic’ by a Defra-licensed organic control body
• used to grow top fruit (such as apples, pears and plums) or bush fruit crops (such as gooseberries and redcurrants) as a commercial crop which is not used to produce alcoholic drinks
• 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

• 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: Eligible – you must get a SFI HEFER before you do this action (read section 5.6 ‘Land with historic or archaeological features’ in the SFI scheme information to find out how to do this)

Available area you can enter into this action

Total 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:

• comply with the organic standards required by your Defra-licensed organic control body on land entered into this action
• protect the trees from grazing livestock and pests, such as deer and rabbits, to prevent serious damage
• manage weeds and vegetation around the base of establishing trees

When to do it

You must do this action from its start date, throughout each year of its 3-year duration.

How to do it

You must do this action in a way that meets the required organic standards.

Evidence to keep

You must keep a valid organic certificate and schedule for all land entered into this action – this must cover at least the full period of this action’s duration.

You must also keep other evidence to show what you’ve done to complete this action, such as:

• field operations at a land parcel level and associated invoices
• copies of sales receipts for fruit crops
• photographs and other documentation

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.

• Scheme: SFI 2024 actions
• Action or option codes: AHW1, PRF1, PRF2, CAHL1, CAHL2, CAHL3, CAHL4, CIPM1, CIPM2, CIPM3, CIPM4, CNUM1, CNUM3, CSAM1, PRF3
• Scheme: SFI 2023 actions
• Action or option codes: AHL1, AHL2, AHL3, AHL4, IPM1, IPM2, IPM3, IPM4, NUM1, NUM3, SAM1
• Scheme: CS options
• Action or option codes: AB8, AB16, BE4, BE5
• Scheme: ES options
• Action or option codes: No ES revenue options
• Scheme: SFI pilot standards
• Action or option codes: No area-based SFI pilot standards

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

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

1. 2 August 2024

Where you can do this action - land needs to be used to grow top fruit as a commercial crop which is not used to produce alcoholic drinks. 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. Other actions or options you can do on the same area - PRF3 added to SFI 2024 actions.

1. 21 May 2024

First published.