WBD2: Manage ditches

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

£4 per 100 metres (m) for both sides

Action’s aim

This action’s aim is that there are ditches with:

varied bankside and aquatic vegetation

undisturbed wildlife habitat

The purpose of this is to:

maintain vegetation that’s typical of wet ditches

provide habitats for wildlife

Where you can do this action

An eligible ditch for this action must:

form part of the boundary of a land parcel that’s located below the moorland line

be a man-made, long and narrow linear channel that’s cut into the ground for the purpose of draining the land or managing water levels

have vegetated banks

regularly contain standing or flowing water

The following features are not eligible for this action:

ditches located in a severely disadvantaged area ( SDA ) below the moorland line

culverts or underground drains

natural watercourses, such as streams

non-linear water features, such as ponds, lakes or reservoirs

grips, gutters and foot drains

Check you have management control of your ditches

You must have management control of both sides of the entire length of the eligible ditch you enter into this action for its 3-year duration.

If you only have management control of one side of the ditch, you must not enter it into this action.

You will have management control of both sides of a ditch that borders a neighbour’s land if you meet both of the following conditions:

you have a legal right or obligation to manage the ditch

you can meet this action’s requirements

You cannot do this action on ditches managed by third parties, such as Internal Drainage Boards .

Check the length you enter into this action

It’s your responsibility to check that the length (in metres) you enter in your SFI application:

is eligible for this action

corresponds with what’s on the ground for the relevant land parcel

If you enter a length which is ineligible or exceeds what’s on the ground, the Rural Payments Agency ( RPA ) will have to remove it from your SFI26 agreement. You may also have to repay monies already received.

Eligibility of protected land

Sites of special scientific interest (SSSIs): Ineligible – you must not enter any area that’s designated as an SSSI into this action.

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).

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 manage the ditch in a way that can reasonably be expected to achieve this action’s aim, including:

cutting vegetation at the top of the ditch bank in rotation, so you only cut up to half the length of the ditch bank in any year of this action’s 3-year duration

carrying out in-channel management on any section of the ditch no more than once during this action’s 3-year duration – this includes cleaning out silt or vegetation and cutting vegetation in the ditch channel

To minimise disturbance to wildlife, you must only manage the ditch during the autumn, winter and early spring (usually September to late March).

You must not re-profile or increase the width or depth of the ditch.

When to do it

You must do this action from its start date, throughout 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.

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

Keep evidence to show what you’ve done to complete this action, such as:

ditch management 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   All SFI 2026 actions except BND1

SFI 2024 actions All SFI 2024 actions except BND1 and WBD2

SFI 2023 actions All SFI 2023 actions

CSHT actions from 2025   All CSHT actions

CS options All CS management options including BE3 (management of hedgerows)

ES options All ES revenue options except boundary 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.

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.

Managing ditches

To help you achieve this action’s aim, you can:

cut vegetation at the top of the ditch bank (where needed) with cutters set high, to leave vegetation that’s around 10 centimetres (cm) to 15cm high

carry out bankside cutting (where needed) during late summer or early autumn

carry out in-channel management using appropriate machinery and without affecting the banks

work from one bank only, leaving short stretches (for example, around 10m to 20m) undisturbed to provide a refuge for wildlife

progress work upstream to allow dislodged pieces of plant and invertebrates to float downstream to live in the ditch again

leave around at least one third of the overall ditch area undisturbed each year – managing your ditches less frequently will provide undisturbed habitat for wildlife (including the water vole)

Make sure you follow the  farming rules for water . These require you to take steps to stop manure, fertiliser or soil getting into waterbodies and watercourses. Maintaining good water quality in your ditches will help to protect insects or plants that live in them.

Before you carry out work on your ditches, check if you need to get consents or permissions. Read  section 10 ‘Get any regulatory consents before you do your SFI actions’ in the SFI26 scheme rules and guidance.

You may find it helpful to read  Farm Wildlife’s guidance on managing ditches .

Cutting vegetation

To cut vegetation at the top of the ditch bank in rotation, you can either:

cut one side of the ditch and leaving the other side uncut as a wildlife corridor

leave alternate sections uncut

You can control weeds on the ditch banks by cutting or hand pulling. If you need to use herbicides:

follow the label recommendations

get permission from the Environment Agency  before you use herbicides to control weeds and unwanted vegetation in or close to a river or watercourse

Carrying out in-channel management

Carrying out in-channel management of your ditches on a rotation will help to provide a range of different conditions to benefit many species. For example:

insects, that need shallow water, muddy areas and flower-rich bankside vegetation

birds like warblers, that need tall vegetation and reeds

If you carry out in-channel management on the ditch, you can deposit the silt and vegetation (known as ‘spoil’) on the field adjacent to the ditch. However, under a D1 waste exemption, you can only deposit up to 50 cubic metres of dredging spoil on each metre length of land during any 12-month period. Read the guidance on D1 waste exemption: depositing waste from dredging inland waters for more information.

When you deposit the spoil, try to avoid:

spreading it on areas of grassland that are rich in wildflowers

using it to infill low lying areas

spreading it on the ditch’s bank face

spreading it on land with historic or archaeological features

creating spoil banks in wet grassland and wetland areas, as they stop water movement on and off the field

Controlling invasive, non-native species

Invasive, non-native species (such as Himalayan balsam and Japanese knotweed) can shade out or out-complete native plants in your ditch.

You may need to:

monitor and control invasive, non-native plant species to stop them spreading

get advice if your ditch contains invasive water plants like crassula (New Zealand pygmyweed) or floating pennywort

dispose of ditch spoil that contains invasive, non-native species safely , instead of spreading it on the adjacent field

Eligibility of protected land

Sites of special scientific interest (SSSIs): Ineligible – you must not enter any area that’s designated as an SSSI into this action.

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).