CIGL2: Winter bird food on improved grassland (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

Action’s aim

This action’s aim is that there’s improved grassland, which is maintained so it’s left to go to seed during the autumn and winter months.

The purpose of this is to provide winter food for farmland birds.

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

Temporary grassland Arable land TG01

Improved permanent grassland Permanent grassland PG01

25% limited area action

This is a ‘limited area’ action. The total eligible area you enter into any combination of one or more of the ‘limited area’ actions must not be more than 25% of the total agricultural area of your farm. Read section 4.5 ‘Limited area SFI actions’ in the SFI26 scheme information for more details (including a list of the ‘limited area’ actions).

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 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 maintain improved grassland entered into this action.

To maintain the improved grassland, you must manage it in a way that can reasonably be expected to achieve this action’s aim. This includes:

cutting it for silage or hay in a way that allows it to go to seed

leaving it un-grazed after the final cut for silage and hay

If you’re already maintaining improved grassland, you can use it 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 GS3 (ryegrass seed-set as winter food for birds)

When to do it

If you’re doing this action on the same area of land for its 3-year duration, you must:

start maintaining the improved grassland within 12 months of this action’s start date

continue to maintain the area of improved grassland in each subsequent year of this action’s duration

If you’re rotating this action around your farm, each year of this action’s duration you must do the actions for a period of time that can reasonably be expected to achieve this action’s aim.

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 with 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, OFC1, OFC3, OFM1, OFM4, PRF1, PRF2, SOH1

SFI 2024 actions AGF1, AGF2, CIPM1, CNUM1, CSAM1, OFC1, OFC3, OFM1, OFM4, PRF1, PRF2, SOH1

SFI 2023 actions IPM1, NUM1, SAM1

CSHT actions from 2025 CAGF1, CAGF2, CAGF3, CAGF4, CHS3, CHS9, CSP13, CSP14, CSP15, CSP20, CSP21, CSP9, CWS1, CWS3

CS options HS3, HS9, OR1, OR3, OT1, OT3

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.

Maintaining improved grassland to provide winter bird food

To maintain the improved grassland, this action requires you to manage it in a way that could reasonably be expected to achieve this action’s aim. This includes:

cutting it for silage or hay in a way that allows it to go to seed

leaving it un-grazed after the final cut for silage and hay

Where to locate the winter bird food

To provide winter bird food, it will help if you use sits with a high cover (for example, at least 50% of the area) of perennial, Italian or hybrid ryegrass.

It will benefit more birds if you have a number of winter bird food areas spaced as evenly as possible across your land. For example, you could space 5 blocks of, for example, at least 0.5 hectares ( ha ) across 100ha.

You can use a range of locations to provide winter bird food for a wider range of bird species. For example:

near hedgerows for birds, such as tree sparrows and yellowhammers

away from hedgerows for open-country birds such as skylarks, corn buntings and grey partridges

If you’re using field edge strips, it’ll usually help if those are at least 10 metres (m) wide and located away from busy roads.

Managing improved grassland to provide winter bird food

Leaving the improved grassland uncut and un-grazed in the summer will help to produce adequate seed during the autumn and winter months.

The timing of when to do this will depend on which ryegrass species dominates the sward. You can usually cut and graze:

perennial ryegrass until late May

Italian and hybrid ryegrass until late June

Once cutting or grazing has stopped, try to minimise access by people, animals and vehicles. This will help to avoid the grass being trampled and producing a grass mat, which can make it difficult for the birds to access the seeds.

If you’re leaving the ryegrass in place, you can improve next year’s yield by either:

harrowing the field, providing it does not contain historic or archaeological features

cutting the field and removing the cuttings

You can also continue to use fertiliser (where necessary) to help produce a good growth of grass.

Eligible land

Eligible land type Eligible land cover Compatible land use code

Temporary grassland Arable land TG01

Improved permanent grassland Permanent grassland PG01