CIPM3: Companion crop on arable and horticultural land

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

£55 per hectare ( ha ) per year

Action’s aim

This action’s aim is that there’s companion crop growing with a main arable or horticultural crop.

The purpose of this is to do one or more of the following:

support an integrated pest management ( IPM ) approach by acting as a trap crop for pests or by supressing weeds

provide a habitat for birds and invertebrates, including pollinators and natural crop pest predators

manage nutrient efficiency

protect soil and improve its condition

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’

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 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 SFI 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 establish a companion crop on land entered into this action, so it’s growing with the main arable or horticultural crop.

The companion crop does not have to be present for the full growing period of the arable or horticultural crop, as long as it’s managed in a way that can reasonably be expected to achieve the action’s aim and its intended purpose.

You can establish the companion crop by:

trap cropping – sowing a trap crop to attract crop pests away from the main arable or horticultural crop

inter-cropping – sowing the companion crop with the main arable or horticultural crop

undersowing – sowing a companion crop to form a living mulch beneath the arable or horticultural crop

You must avoid growing deep rooted species of companion crop on any area within a land parcel with historic or archaeological features identified in your SFI HEFER . Read section 5.3 ‘Land with historic or archaeological features’ in the SFI scheme information for more details.

You can use an existing companion crop to get paid for this action if it meets this action’s requirements.

When to do it

You must do this action each year of its 3-year duration.

If this action’s start date means it’s too late for you to do this action, you must start doing it within 12 months of the action’s start date.

For example, if you’ve already sown the main arable and horticultural crop before this action starts, you can establish the companion crop within 12 months of this action’s start date.

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 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, CAHL2, CIPM4, CSAM2, OFC3, OFC4, OFC5, OFM4, OFM5, OFM6, PRF1, PRF2, PRF4, SOH1, SOH3

SFI 2024 actions AGF1, AGF2, CAHL2, CIPM1, CIPM4, CNUM1, CSAM1, CSAM2, OFA1, OFC3, OFC4, OFC5, OFM4, OFM5, OFM6, PRF1, PRF2, PRF3, PRF4, SOH1, SOH2, SOH3

SFI 2023 actions AHL2, IPM1, IPM4, NUM1, SAM1, SAM2

CSHT actions from 2025 CAB17, CAGF1, CAGF2, CAGF3, CAGF4, CHS3, CHS9, CSP13, CSP14, CSP15, CSP20, CSP21, CSP9, CSW17, CSW19, CWS1, CWS3

CS options HS3, HS9, OP1, OR3, OR4, OR5, OT3, OT4, OT5, SW6

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 SFI 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 what to sow and how to establish a companion crop

When you establish the arable or horticultural crop to grow with the companion crop, by law you cannot cultivate or apply fertilisers or pesticides to land within 2 metres (m) of the centre of a hedgerow. Read the guidance on  Hedgerow management rules: buffer strips  to understand how these rules apply to you.

The species and type of companion crop you choose to sow will be determined by:

the main arable or horticultural crop you’re growing

soil conditions

the crop pest to be controlled

You can establish the companion crop by trap cropping, inter-cropping or undersowing.

Your seed supplier can help you choose what to sow and advise you on an overall sowing rate.

Establishing a trap crop

To establish the companion crop as a trap crop, you can sow it:

around the field in plots or in between the main arable or horticultural crop

before, at the same time or as a separate pass into the main arable or horticultural crop

This can help attract pests away from the main crop.

Find out more about trap cropping in the Agriculture and Horticulture Development Board (AHDB) guidance on  using companion cropping to manage cabbage stem flea beetle in oilseed rape .

Establishing an intercrop

To establish the companion crop as an intercrop, you can sow the companion crop with the main arable or horticultural crop. You can then harvest them together.

This can help suppress weeds, reduce disease and crop pests, and provide nutrients.

Find out more about intercropping on the  Processors and Growers Research Organisation website .

Establishing the companion crop by undersowing

To establish the companion crop by undersowing, you can sow it either:

at the same time as the main arable or horticultural crop

as a separate pass into the main arable or horticultural crop

You can then leave the companion crop to grow on after you harvest the main crop.

This can help to suppress weeds, retain nutrients and protect against soil erosion.

Find out more about undersowing in the AHDB guidance on:

undersowing crops with clover  or grass

undersowing maize

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 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