PRF2: Camera or remote sensor guided herbicide spraying

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

£43 per hectare (ha) per year

Action’s aim

This action’s aim is that camera or remote sensing guided technology is used to apply systemic herbicides to control weeds, so they’re targeted precisely.

The purpose of this is to:

• reduce the volume of herbicide applied
• increase biodiversity
• improve water quality, soil quality and productivity
• support an integrated pest management approach

Where you can do this action

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

• receiving systemic herbicides to control weeds which camera or remote sensing guided technology can recognise
• 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 land cover

Camera recognition is currently available for:

• docks and nettles in grass or leys containing clover
• all weeds in maize
• certain crops grown on wide row spacings (such as potatoes)
• stubbles – where there’s green growth

Remote sensing technology uses artificial intelligence to recognise target weeds.

Eligible land

Eligibility of protected land

Available area you can enter into this action

Total or part of the available area in a land parcel.

Rotational or static action

This action is rotational or static. This means you can either:

• move its location for the second and third years of this action’s duration
• do it at the same location each year of this action’s duration

What to do

You must apply systemic (contact) herbicides on land entered into this action using camera or remote sensing technology that:

• identifies specific weeds to be controlled
• automatically switches on individual nozzles to apply the herbicides directly to the identified weeds

Systemic herbicides kill the whole weed, from leaf to root.

You must only carry out a ‘blanket’ application of herbicides if you’re applying:

• glyphosate to destroy a cover crop or create a stale seedbed before drilling
• residual herbicides before sown crop plants or weeds emerge (‘pre-emergence’) – this can be at the same time the crop is established (drilled or planted) or within a few days of establishment
• pre-harvest herbicide or desiccant to combinable crops

A ‘blanket’ application means you apply herbicides uniformly across an area, rather than targeting the application to identified weeds.

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 follow this action’s requirements – these are identified by a ‘must.’

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:

• ‘as applied’ data, such as a map showing where individual nozzles switch on to apply herbicide
• a record of any permitted blanket application of herbicide, including the date it was applied
• contractor’s invoice if you use a contractor to do this action

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 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 your equipment

The camera or remote sensor guided technology you use can be either:

• mounted on the sprayer working in real time
• used in advance to create a map which is then uploaded to the sprayer

You may be able to get funding for camera or remote sensor guided equipment through the Farming Equipment and Technology Fund (FETF). [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 [ES]: Environmental Stewardship *[FETF]: Farming Equipment and Technology Fund