BFS1: 12m to 24m watercourse buffer strip on cultivated land (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

£707 per hectare ( ha ) per year – calculate the hectarage by:

measuring the length of the buffer strip in metres (m)

multiplying that length by the relevant width (12m to 24m) to give the area in m 2

dividing that area by 10,000 to convert it into ha

Action’s aim

This action’s aim is that there’s a grass buffer strip on land at risk of soil erosion or surface runoff, which:

is alongside a watercourse or pond

has an intact sward throughout the year, without tracks, compacted areas or poaching

The purpose of this is to:

protect watercourses

reduce the risk of potential pollutants, such as sediment, pesticides and nutrients, being transported to watercourses in surface water runoff

provide habitats for wildlife and form links to other habitats

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:

identified by you as being at risk of soil erosion or surface runoff – you must keep written evidence of this

alongside a watercourse (ditch, pond, river or stream)

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

You can also do this action on eligible land that’s in a flood risk area. Check the  flood risk map  and read the  guidance on how to use the flood risk map . This can include land which may have flood risk management works carried out on it by a flood risk management authority, such as Internal Drainage Boards .

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 ) can 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: Eligible – you must get an SFI HEFER before you do this action (read  section 5.3 ’Land with historic or archaeological features’  in the SFI26 scheme information to find out how to do this).

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 and maintain a grass strip that’s:

at least 12m wide and up to 24m wide (on average in each land parcel) – it can be more than 24m wide, but you’ll only be paid for the 24m width

alongside a ditch, pond, river or stream, to create a buffer between the edge of the crop or fallow land and the watercourse

You must make sure the grass strip is in addition to any regulatory requirements relating to buffer strips.

Once the grass strip is established, you must manage it in a way that can reasonably be expected to achieve this action’s aim.

During late summer, after the bird breeding season, you must cut part of the grass strip’s width next to the edge of the crop or fallow land. You must do this along as much of the strip’s length as possible. This is to provide some shorter vegetation and a range of habitat types.

Flood risk management authorities, such as Internal Drainage Boards , may carry out flood risk management works on the grass buffer strip if it’s located in a flood risk area. Check the  flood risk map  and read the  guidance on how to use the flood risk map . If this happens, you must repair any damage to the grass buffer strip as soon as reasonably practicable.

You must not do the following on the established grass strip:

allow livestock to access it

use it for regular vehicular access, turning or storage (for example, storing bales or machinery)

apply fertilisers or manures

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 grass strip 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 CS option SW4 (12m to 24m watercourse buffer strip on cultivated land)

When to do it

You must:

establish the grass buffer strip within the first 12 months of this action’s duration

maintain the grass buffer strip 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 written evidence that land entered into this action is at risk of soil erosion or surface runoff. You can use the soil management plan produced for CSAM1 or SAM1 to identify this.

You must also 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 and 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, CPAC1, CSP13, CSP14, CSP15, CSP20, CSP21, CSP9, CSW17, CSW19, 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.

How and where to establish the grass buffer strip

You can establish the grass buffer strip by either:

sowing a seed mix

using natural regeneration

If you’re sowing a seed mix, to help the grass buffer strip to establish you can:

remove any subsoil compaction to prepare a seedbed (except on land with historic or archaeological features)

cut regularly in the first 12 to 24 months to encourage the grasses to tiller – try to avoid cutting when the soil is wet as that may cause compaction

This action requires you to locate the grass buffer strip on land that’s:

identified by you as being at risk of soil erosion or surface runoff

alongside a watercourse (ditch, pond, river or stream)

To intercept and slow runoff water, you can establish the grass buffer strip across a long, steep slope. Try to minimise the amount of water that is channelled along the edge of the buffer strip.

Maintaining the established grass buffer strip

Once the grass buffer strip is established, this action requires you to maintain it by managing it in a way that can reasonably be expected to achieve this action’s aim.

Cutting part of the grass buffer strip’s width

This action requires you to cut part of the grass strip’s width next to the edge of the crop or fallow land during late summer (after the bird breeding season).

It’s up to you how much of the buffer strip’s width you cut. Cutting up to half of the width from the edge of the crop or fallow land can help to provide:

short grass for birds to forage in (such as grey partridge chicks)

mid-length grass for species like brown hares

long, rarely cut tussocky grass to give shelter and nesting places for birds and invertebrates

Remove the cut vegetation (where possible) to limit weeds and reduce the risk of it smothering the flower species. If this is impractical, you can finely chop the vegetation to spread it as thinly as possible.

Controlling weeds

You may need to control weeds when they appear. To control weeds like docks, nettles, thistles and common ragwort, you can cut the affected area, providing there’s still an intact grass sward. This action also allows you to use herbicides to weed wipe or spot treat weeds.

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