https://defrafarming.blog.gov.uk/arable-and-horticultural-land-standard-of-the-sustainable-farming-incentive-pilot/
Arable and horticultural land standard of the Sustainable Farming Incentive pilot
The guidance on this page is for SFI pilot participants only. Please visit GOV.UK for the official Sustainable Farming Incentive scheme guidance.
Find out about the standard for arable and horticultural land, who’s eligible and how much you can get paid.
Applications for the pilot have now closed. The Sustainable Farming Incentive 2023 offer is due to launch from summer 2023. To find out more about the SFI 2023 offer, read the SFI Handbook for the SFI 2023 offer.
This information is for farmers piloting the Sustainable Farming Incentive.
How the standard works
There are 3 levels to the standard. Each level has a set of actions you must complete, where relevant, to get paid.
The levels build on one another - each one includes the actions from the previous levels.
If you’re already doing activities on your land that fulfil the actions in this standard, you can use these areas instead of creating new ones. This means you can maintain existing areas to complete actions that require you to ‘create’ or ‘establish’ something.
Anything you’re doing to complete an action only counts towards that action. It will not count towards the standard’s other actions, unless this guidance says otherwise.
When to complete actions
Because agreements will start from November 2021 at the earliest, it will be too late to complete some actions that must take place after harvest - for example, establishing a green cover by the end of September or mid-October.
Complete these actions within 12 months of your agreement start date. This means you can complete the post-harvest actions after harvest 2022.
Actions that need you to create a new habitat may not be practical during the winter months - for example, sowing a winter bird food mix. You should complete these actions within 12 months of your agreement start date.
If you're amending your agreement to add this standard, or to change the ambition level of this standard in an existing agreement, you'll need to complete all of the actions listed below within 12 months from when the amendment starts. For example, if you're adding this standard to an agreement with a 1 November 2021 start date for the second year of that agreement, the amendment would be effective from 1 November 2022 and the actions for this standard would need to be completed by 31 October 2023.
How much you’ll be paid
In January 2024, we reviewed the payment rates for the Sustainable Farming Incentive pilot standards following our previous review in 2023.
Payment rates for the introductory, intermediate and advanced levels of the arable and horticultural land standard were increased.
For your agreement to show the revised payment rates, you need to sign into the Rural Payments service to ‘Generate’ and ‘Download’ an updated version of your agreement. Doing this will update your agreement document.
The levels and payments for this standard are set out in the table. These payment rates are annual.
| Level | Payment per hectare | Previous payment rate |
|---|---|---|
| Introductory | £37 | £32 |
| Intermediate | £70 | £60 |
| Advanced | £99 | £85 |
You’ll be paid for all the eligible land that’s in your agreement and you’ll have to complete the actions on all that land.
Some actions affect a smaller percentage of this land – for example, providing resources for birds and pollinators on 5% of eligible land. You’re still paid for all the eligible land in your agreement, not just the 5%.
You can apply for funding for capital items.
What land is eligible
You can use the standard for all cultivated arable land, including:
- horticultural crops, such as field vegetables
- temporary grassland – that is, land that has been in grass or other herbaceous forage for 5 years or less
You can also include non-agricultural areas on cultivated arable land, such as:
- scrub
- tall vegetation
- wet features that do not cover the majority of the total land parcel area
Ineligible land
Do not use this standard for peat soil areas, greater than 20% soil organic matter to a depth of 40cm or more.
Changes to the land because you’re completing actions
The land must be eligible at the start date of your agreement.
Changes to the land’s use, composition or cover that happen because you’re completing the actions in this standard do not affect eligibility, and you’ll continue to be paid under this standard, at your chosen ambition level.
Measuring areas for actions where there are hedgerows or water bodies
Some actions must be fulfilled on a percentage of the eligible land entered into the standard. For example, having a mix of herbs, legumes and grass on 5% of eligible land.
If you’ve entered the same land into the hedgerows standard or water body buffering standard, the percentage area for an action to be fulfilled under another standard cannot overlap with the hedgerow or water body buffer strips. Measure the percentage area from the edge of these buffer strips. If this is not the case, measure from the edge of the hedgerow or water body.
The area can include the 2-metre or 1-metre cross-compliance buffers required under GAEC 1, and the 2-metre green cover requirement under GAEC 7a, where relevant.
Sites of special scientific interest (SSSIs)
If your application includes SSSI land, you will need consent from Natural England.
Make your request for consent when you get your agreement offer. Send a copy of the offer along with a notice form to:
ProtectedSites@naturalengland.org.uk
Your agreement cannot start without SSSI consent.
For more information read the guidance sites of special scientific interest: managing your land.
Introductory level: actions
You must do the following actions to be paid £37 per hectare.
Read the section of this guide about evidence you should keep.
1. Provide resources for birds and pollinators on 5% of eligible land
On at least 5% of eligible land entered into the standard, you must provide year-round resources for farmland birds, pollinators and other beneficial insects.
You must have:
- sites for nesting and cover on 1% of eligible land entered into the standard
- habitats rich in insects and flowers on 2% of eligible land entered into the standard
- sown winter seed on 2% of eligible land entered into the standard
Bird boxes do not count towards the total percentage.
As an alternative to the sown winter seed, you can provide winter seed food with these activities over a larger area of land:
- sow brassica fodder crops on 5% of land
- keep enhanced over-winter stubble until 31 July of the following year on 5% of land
- keep basic over-winter stubble on 10% of land
- keep whole crop cereal as over winter stubble on 10% of land
You cannot combine these alternatives.
Supporting evidence
You may want to keep supporting evidence for this action. This is in case actions you have undertaken and aims or outcomes achieved are not clear from remote monitoring or at site visits.
Information on providing resources for birds and pollinators
How you complete this action is up to you, but you can read information on how to provide nesting and cover:
- create areas of bare ground for invertebrates
- provide nest boxes for birds
- install wildlife boxes for species at risk
- create nesting plots for lapwing and stone curlew
- create and maintain grass strips
- create and maintain field corners
- use harvested low input cereal
- create and maintain herbal leys
- use unharvested low input cereal
You can also read information on how to create insect and flower rich habitat:
- create and maintain flower-rich margins and plots
- create areas of bare ground for invertebrates
- create and maintain pollen and nectar plots
- create 2 year sown legume fallow
- create and maintain wildlife plots
- create cultivated margins and plots for arable plants
- create and maintain beetle banks
- use harvested low input cereal
- create and maintain herbal leys
- use unharvested low input cereal
You can also read information on how to sow winter seed:
- sow winter bird food plots in spring
- sow winter bird food plots in autumn
- leave stubbles over winter
- provide ryegrass seed-set for birds over winter
- use unharvested low input cereal
Hedgerow buffer strips that have been included in the hedgerows standard cannot be counted as contributing to this standard.
2. Create buffers around 50% of in-field trees
This action will protect your trees and provide a habitat for wildlife.
Maintain a 10 metre buffer around at least 50% of all in-field trees. The 10 metre buffer should be measured from the edge of the trunk.
Leave mature ivy, low hanging and fallen, dead or dying branches on the tree or beneath the canopy.
Do not cut the buffers or use them for the storage of machinery or materials.
You’ll get £13 per tree each year (previous payment rate £12 per tree each year).
You cannot claim this payment if the land is conditionally exempt from Inheritance Tax (Heritage Property Relief).
Supporting evidence
You may want to keep supporting evidence for this action. This is in case actions you have undertaken and aims or outcomes achieved are not clear from remote monitoring or at site visits.
Information on creating buffers around trees
How you complete this action is up to you, but you can read information on how to maintain in-field trees.
3. Use a nutrient management plan
Use a nutrient management plan to ensure that your application of manures and fertilisers:
- meets crop and soil requirements
- minimises loss of nutrients and emissions of ammonia and greenhouse gases
Information on using a nutrient management plan
How you complete this action is up to you, but you can read information on how to create and use a nutrient management plan
4. Use low emission technologies
This action will cut down ammonia emissions.
You must do at least one of the following:
- use low emission technologies, for example trailing hose, shoe or shallow injection or dribble bar, to apply organic manures (slurries and other organic liquid manures)
- where you’re due to cultivate land, incorporate any organic manures, composted manures, sewage sludge and slurry within 12 hours
Supporting evidence
You may want to keep supporting evidence for this action. This is in case actions you have undertaken and aims or outcomes achieved are not clear from remote monitoring or at site visits.
Information on low emission technologies
How you complete this action is up to you, but you can read information on how to use precision application of fertiliser, manure and other inputs
Intermediate level: actions
At the intermediate level you must do the actions in the introductory level, plus the following actions, to be paid £70 per hectare (previous payment rate £60 per hectare).
Read the section of this guide about evidence you should keep.
1. Provide resources for birds and pollinators on 8% of eligible land
This action extends the introductory action to a larger percentage of your land.
On at least 8% of eligible land entered into the standard, you must provide year-round resources for farmland birds, pollinators and other beneficial insects.
You must have:
- sites for nesting and cover on 2% of eligible land entered into the standard
- habitats rich in insects and flowers on 3% of eligible land entered into the standard
- sown winter seed on 3% of eligible land entered into the standard (or a larger area of the alternative activities described in the introductory level)
Supporting evidence
You may want to keep supporting evidence for this action. This is in case actions you have undertaken and aims or outcomes achieved are not clear from remote monitoring or at site visits.
2. Support a wide range of farm wildlife
To support a range of farm wildlife, you should do one or more of the following:
- cultivate plots for arable plants and ground nesting birds
- create, manage and enhance beetle banks
- sow ungrazed legume fallows
- provide supplementary winter feed for birds
In total, you’ll need to cover whichever is larger:
- 0.5 hectares
- 0.5% of eligible land entered into the standard
This counts towards the 8% of land you need for the first action too.
If you provide supplementary winter feed for birds, 250kg is equivalent to 0.5 hectares. This works best if you are also providing sown winter seed.
Supporting evidence
You may want to keep supporting evidence for this action. This is in case actions you have undertaken and aims or outcomes achieved are not clear from remote monitoring or at site visits.
Information on supporting farm wildlife
How you complete this action is up to you, but you can read information on how to:
- create cultivated margins and plots for arable plants
- create and maintain beetle banks
- create nesting plots for lapwing and stone curlew
- create 2 year sown legume fallow
- provide supplementary winter food for birds
3. Complete a whole farm nutrient budget
This action will improve nutrient use efficiency and reduce nutrient losses to the environment.
Complete a whole farm nutrient budget that takes account of:
- inputs from feed, fertiliser and manures
- outputs in crop and livestock products
Use your budget to produce an action plan.
The whole farm nutrient budget should cover all your land parcels. It can be used for both the arable and grassland standards.
Required documents
You must keep your nutrient budget documents for us to monitor. You do not need to send these to us unless we ask for them.
Information on whole farm nutrient budgets
How you complete this action is up to you, but you can read information on how to use a whole farm nutrient budget.
4. Do soil mapping
This action will help you to:
- better target nutrient application
- use nutrients more efficiently
- minimise nutrient losses
Do detailed soil mapping to test nutrient variations within fields, for example P, K, Mg and pH, on either:
- 25% of eligible land entered into the standard each year
- all the eligible land entered into the standard once every 4 years
Required documents
You must keep your soil mapping documents for us to monitor. You do not need to send these to us unless we ask for them.
5. Manage ditches
This action will help to provide additional habitat for farm wildlife, including aquatic plants and invertebrates, fish and amphibians, water voles and flowering plants for pollinating insects.
Where you have ditches:
- manage your ditches between 1 September and 1 April
- cut no more than half the length of bank vegetation in any year
- carry out in-channel management on a rotation of 3 years or longer
Ditches include temporarily dry watercourses.
You can do in-channel management more regularly if you’ve been told to by a flood management authority.
This requirement only applies where the applicant has control over the management of the ditch. Ditches managed by the Environment Agency or an Internal Drainage Board are exempt.
Supporting evidence
You may want to keep supporting evidence for this action. This is in case actions you have undertaken and aims or outcomes achieved are not clear from remote monitoring or at site visits.
Information on managing ditches
How you complete this action is up to you, but you can read information on how to create and manage ditches for wildlife.
Advanced level: actions
For the advanced level you must do the actions in the introductory and intermediate levels, plus the following actions, to be paid £99 per hectare (previous payment rate £85 per hectare).
Read the section of this guide about evidence you should keep.
1. Provide resources for birds and pollinators on 10% of eligible land
This extends the intermediate action to a larger percentage of your land.
On at least 10% of eligible land entered into the standard, you must provide year-round resources for farmland birds, pollinators and other beneficial insects.
You must have:
- sites for nesting and cover on 2% of eligible land entered into the standard
- habitats rich in insects and flowers on 4% of eligible land entered into the standard
- sown winter seed on 4% of eligible land entered into the standard (or a larger area of the alternative activities described in the introductory level)
Supporting evidence
You may want to keep supporting evidence for this action. This is in case actions you have undertaken and aims or outcomes achieved are not clear from remote monitoring or at site visits.
2. Create buffers around 75% of your in-field trees
This action will protect your trees and provide a habitat for wildlife.
Create 10 metre buffers around at least 75% of all in-field trees - this is up from 50% at the previous 2 levels.
Leave mature ivy, low hanging and fallen, dead or dying branches on the tree or beneath the canopy.
Do not cut the buffers or use them for the storage of machinery or materials.
You’ll get £13 per tree each year (previous payment rate £12 per tree each year).
You cannot claim this payment if the land is conditionally exempt from Inheritance Tax (Heritage Property Relief).
Information on creating buffers around trees
How you complete this action is up to you, but you can read information on how to maintain in-field trees.
Supporting evidence
You may want to keep supporting evidence for this action. This is in case actions you have undertaken and aims or outcomes achieved are not clear from remote monitoring or at site visits.
3. Maintain areas of tall vegetation, scrub and wet features
This action will provide nesting, food and shelter for wildlife.
Create or maintain areas of:
- tall vegetation
- scrub
- wet features, such as ponds
You must do this over 2% of eligible land entered into the standard. This must be in addition to any hedges, woods, scrub or tall vegetation managed under other standards.
Do not allow scrub to develop on historic sites.
Information on maintaining areas of tall vegetation, scrub and wet features
How you complete this action is up to you, but you can read information on how to:
- create scrub and scrub mosaics
- manage scrub and scrub mosaics
- create and maintain field corners
- create ponds and lakes
- maintain and enhance ponds and lakes
4. Support crop-pest predators
Locate areas that support crop-pest predators close to crops.
You must:
- provide at least one area in every cropped field 5 hectares or larger
- use these areas to subdivide fields larger than 20 hectares
This counts towards the 10% of land you need for the first action at the advanced level.
Supporting evidence
You may want to keep supporting evidence for this action. This is in case actions you have undertaken and aims or outcomes achieved are not clear from remote monitoring or at site visits.
Information on supporting crop-pest predators
How you complete this action is up to you, but you can read information on how to:
- create and maintain flower-rich margins and plots
- create areas of bare ground for invertebrates
- create and maintain pollen and nectar plots
- create 2 year sown legume fallow
- create and maintain wildlife plots
- leave stubbles over winter
- create and maintain beetle banks
- use harvested low input cereal
- use unharvested low input cereal
5. Apply fertilisers and pesticides with precision equipment
This action will help target nutrient application.
Use efficient precision application equipment to apply fertilisers and pesticides.
Supporting evidence
You may want to keep supporting evidence for this action. This is in case actions you have undertaken and aims or outcomes achieved are not clear from remote monitoring or at site visits.
Information on applying fertilisers and pesticides with precision equipment
How you complete this action is up to you, but you can read information on how to:
- use precision application of fertiliser, manure and other inputs
- use precision pesticide application systems
Further advice and information
For further advice on doing the actions in this standard read the Sustainable Farming Incentive pilot: summary of advice.
Read more about how this standard will meet the environmental outcomes and benefits of the Sustainable Farming Incentive pilot.
Funding for capital items
As a Sustainable Farming Incentive pilot participant, you can apply for funding to support your standards.
Capital items which may support the aims of this standard:
You can apply for these through Countryside Stewardship (CS) capital grants in the Rural Payments service. This is subject to the items being used as described in the ‘Where to use this item’ section for each item. To check where items can be used and the records you must supply you can use the CS Grants Finder.
If you’re successful you’ll be offered a separate Countryside Stewardship capital grant agreement. To be eligible for this funding you must not start capital items work (or order materials) until your Countryside Stewardship capital grants agreement starts.
You may also be able to get funding from other programmes for precision fertilizer application equipment.
Monitoring and support
The Sustainable Farming Incentive pilot will use a new model for monitoring agreements. It will focus on outcomes and improvement instead of penalties.
Once your agreement has started, we’ll use various techniques to see whether you’re achieving the aims of the standards.
Read more about:
Additional standards you can apply to this land
Land parcels you use for this standard can also be used for the:
If you apply more than one standard to the same land, the actions for each must be delivered separately.
If you also use the hedgerows standard:
- hedgerow buffer zones cannot be counted towards actions in the arable land standard
- you must prioritise hedgerows standard requirements over other standards in the buffer zone
Further information
See all the Sustainable Farming Incentive pilot guidance.
