AHW3: Beetle banks (updated for SFI26)

This is a Sustainable Farming Incentive 2026 ( SFI26 ) action. Read the SFI26 scheme information to understand what you’re required to do under an SFI26 agreement and how to apply.

Select ‘See all updates’ at the start of this page to find out how this action has changed for SFI26 compared with SFI24 .

For SFI24 actions, read the  SFI24 agreement holder’s information .

Duration

3 years

How much you’ll be paid

£764 per hectare ( ha ) per year

Action’s aim

This action’s aim is that there’s an in-field raised grassy bank, with tussocky grass allowed to develop.

The purpose of this is to:

provide nesting and foraging habitats for ground-nesting birds, small mammals and insects

help slow down or stop soil erosion

support an integrated pest management approach if located close to cropped areas

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 5.1.1 ‘Eligible land types’ in the SFI26 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

Eligible land type Eligible land cover Compatible land use code

Arable land used to grow crops Arable land Land use codes for arable crops or leguminous and nitrogen-fixing crops

Temporary grassland Arable land TG01

Arable land lying fallow Arable land FA01

Eligibility of protected land

Sites of special scientific interest (SSSIs): Eligible – you must:

give notice to Natural England to get SSSI consent before the Rural Payments Agency ( RPA ) offer you an SFI26 agreement

have received SSSI consent from Natural England before you do this action (read section 10.1 ‘SSSI consent’ in the SFI26 scheme information for more details)

Historic and archaeological features: Ineligible – you must not enter any area that contains an historic or archaeological feature into this action. This only affects the area where the feature is located in a land parcel. You can apply for this action on the remaining area in the land parcel if it’s eligible.

Available area you can enter into this action

Total or part of the available area in a land parcel. It’s your responsibility to check that the area you enter is eligible for this action.

You must do this action on the area entered into your SFI26 agreement. If something happens which means you cannot complete this action on some or all of the area, you must tell the RPA in writing as soon as possible. Read section 12.2 ‘What to do if you cannot comply with your agreement’ in the SFI26 scheme information to find out how to do this.

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 establish an in-field beetle bank by:

creating a raised earth ridge

sowing a mixture of fine-leaved grasses, such as red fescue, together with some tussock forming varieties like tall fescue, timothy and cocksfoot

You can leave gaps of up to around 40m at each end of the beetle bank to allow machinery access.

Once the grassy mix on the beetle bank is established, you must maintain it in a way that can reasonably be expected to achieve this action’s aim.

You must not apply:

any fertilisers, manures or lime

apply pesticides, except for herbicides to weed wipe or spot treat to control injurious weeds , invasive non-native species , nettles or bracken

You can maintain an existing beetle bank 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 option, such as Countryside Stewardship option AB3 (beetle banks)

When to do it

You must:

establish the beetle bank within 12 months of this action’s start date

maintain the beetle bank throughout 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 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 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.

Scheme Action or option codes

SFI 2026 actions AGF1, AGF2, OFC3, OFC4, OFM4, OFM5, PRF2

SFI 2024 actions AGF1, AGF2, CIPM1, CNUM1, CSAM1, OFC3, OFC4, OFM4, OFM5, PRF2

SFI 2023 actions IPM1, NUM1, SAM1

CSHT actions from 2025 CAGF1, CAGF2, CAGF3, CAGF4, CSP13, CSP14, CSP15, CSP20, CSP21, CSP9, CWS1, CWS3

CS options OR3, OR4, OT3, OT4

ES options No ES revenue options

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 5.6 ‘Land that’s already in other funding schemes or grants’  in the SFI26 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 2026 actions: CHRW2, BND1, BND2 and WBD2

SFI 2024 actions: CHRW1, CHRW2, CHRW3, BND1, BND2 and WBD2

SFI 2023 actions: HRW1, HRW2, HRW3

CSHT actions: CHRW4

CS options: BE3 (management of hedgerows)

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 the right location

This action:

is suitable for most soil types, but especially where it is possible to form a free-draining raised bank (this will leave the upper bank area dry for insects to hibernate securely)

works best on larger fields, as it’s designed to provide the most benefit in more open landscapes

can help to slow down or stop soil erosion

You can spread beetle banks across your farm to help connect farmland wildlife with other farm habitats.

Establishing the beetle bank

To establish the beetle bank, you can create or maintain a raised earth ridge that’s:

around 3 metres (m) to 5m wide

at least around 0.4m high

To create a raised earth ridge, you can:

plough up and down your field around 2 to 3 times (4 to 6 passes in total)

complete a final, shallow cultivation of the bank to produce a firm and fine seedbed

You can sow the grassy seed mixture by broadcasting it on to the seed bed. To keep moisture in the soil, you can roll it after sowing using an all-terrain vehicle.

To minimise the risk of the beetle bank slumping you can avoid:

overworking the bank

using a heavy set of tractor-trailed Cambridge or flat rolls

You may find it helpful to read the  Game and Wildlife Conservation Trust (GWCT) guidance on beetle banks .

Maintaining the grassy mix during establishment

To help the grassy mix to establish, you can cut it several times during the first spring and summer after sowing. To reduce the risk of soil compacting, try to avoid cutting when the bank is wet.

Maintaining the established grassy mix

From the second spring and summer after sowing, you can cut:

where woody species or invasive perennial weeds (such as creeping or spear thistle) are growing

from August, to protect any nesting invertebrates and beneficial insects

Enhancing banks for wildlife

To enhance the benefits for wildlife, you can sow flower species in your seed mix such as:

common knapweed

field scabious

oxeye daisy

wild carrot

yarrow

If you plant woody shrubs and low growing trees around every 20 m to 30m, this can provide:

important flower-rich foraging habitat for wild pollinators in the spring

berries and fruits for farmland birds and other wildlife to feed on in the autumn and winter months

important song posts for farmland birds (such as the corn bunting during the breeding season)

Eligible land

Eligible land type Eligible land cover Compatible land use code

Arable land used to grow crops Arable land Land use codes for arable crops or leguminous and nitrogen-fixing crops

Temporary grassland Arable land TG01

Arable land lying fallow Arable land FA01