CAHL4: 4m to 12m grass buffer strip on arable and horticultural 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

£515 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 (6m to 12m) 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:

with an intact grass sward throughout the year

without tracks, compacted areas or poaching

The purpose of this is to:

protect existing landscape and heritage features

provide habitat for wildlife

prevent pollutants, such as sediment and nutrients, from being carried in surface water runoff, if located next to a watercourse

support an integrated pest management approach, if located close to cropped areas, which can help to reduce costs and improve farm resilience

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

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

Permanent crops – horticultural Permanent crops TC01

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: 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 on land entered into this action that’s:

at least 4m to 12m wide (on average in each land parcel) – it can be more than 12m wide, but you’ll only be paid for the 12m width.

on the edge of arable and horticultural land

The grass strip must buffer an existing landscape feature, or certain heritage features, such as:

hedgerows

stone walls

woodland

ditches, rivers and streams

upstanding historic and archaeological features, such as earthworks, in-field structures or buildings

You can also locate the grass buffer strip next to:

trackways that channel run-off water directly into a watercourse

fence lines that form links between areas of wildlife habitat

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 any of the following on the grass buffer strip once it’s established:

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 buffer strip to get paid for this action if it:

meet this action’s requirements

are not already being paid for under another environmental land management scheme option, such as CS option SW1 (4m to 6m 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 same area of grass buffer strip in 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, OFC5, OFM4, OFM5, OFM6, PRF2

SFI 2024 actions AGF1, AGF2, CIPM1, CNUM1, CSAM1, OFC3, OFC4, OFC5, OFM4, OFM5, OFM6, 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, OR5, OT3, OT4, OT5

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

This action explains:

which landscape features the grass strip is required to buffer (under ‘What to do’)

that the 4m to 12m wide grass strip must be in addition to any regulatory requirements relating to buffer strips

You are required by law to have 2m buffer strips next to hedgerows. This means you need to establish the 4m to 12m wide grass strip at least 2m from the centre of a hedgerow. Read the guidance on  Hedgerow management rules: buffer strips  to understand how these rules apply to you.

Sowing a seed mix

Sowing a seed mix can establish the grass buffer more quickly, which can reduce the risk of soil erosion.

You can choose a seed mix that contains native grass species, such as:

timothy

cocksfoot

crested dog’s tail

red fescue

smooth-stalked meadow grass

It can help the seeds to germinate if they’re sown into a seedbed that’s:

firm, consolidated, fine, level and weed free

moist, which will usually be the case in the autumn – you can sow in the spring, but you may need to increase the sowing rate, depending on weather and soil type

You can either:

broadcast the seeds onto the surface of the seedbed to help germination

shallow-drill the seeds up to a depth of 1 centimetre (cm). Small seeds may struggle to germinate when sown deeper than 1cm

If the soil is dry enough, rolling after you have sown the seeds can:

improve seed-to-soil contact

keep moisture

reduce the risk of slug damage

Your seed supplier can:

help you choose a seed mix that’s the best match for your land and local conditions

advise you on an overall sowing rate for the seed mix you choose

Using natural regeneration

Using natural regeneration means the grasses in the buffer strip are local to your area. It can take longer to establish the buffer strip, but it may cost less.

To encourage the seeds that are already in the soil to germinate, you can cultivate the soil between spring and late summer.

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

You can stagger cutting, so you do not cut all your buffer strips at the same time. during late summer. This will usually mean there’s always habitat available for invertebrates and small mammals.

Where possible, remove the cut vegetation 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

Permanent crops – horticultural Permanent crops TC01