WBD4: Arable reversion to grassland with low fertiliser input (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

£489 per hectare ( ha ) per year

Action’s aim

This action’s aim is that there’s a dense and diverse grass sward throughout the year which:

is on land at risk of erosion or surface runoff or that creates a buffer to a sensitive habitat

has a range of heights during the autumn and winter months

has minimal bare ground, so the soil is covered by vegetation and is not directly exposed to the elements

has low fertiliser inputs

The purpose this is to:

stabilise the soil

reduce nutrient losses

reduce the risk of flooding

Where you can do this action

You can do this action on agricultural land that’s:

identified by you as being at risk of soil erosion or surface runoff, or is important for buffering ‘sensitive habitats’ – you must keep evidence of this

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

For the purposes of this action, ‘sensitive habitats’ include:

watercourses and waterbodies (streams, rivers, ponds or lakes)

sites of special scientific interest (SSSIs) at risk of diffuse water pollution

priority habitats – you can find these on Natural England’s priority habitat inventory map or the MAGIC website

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 a diverse grass sward on land entered into this action

use a seed mix which includes at least 5 grass species

Once the grass sward is established, you must maintain it. To do this, you must manage it in a way that can reasonably be expected to achieve this action’s aim. This includes:

making sure there’s an intact sward throughout the year, with minimal bare ground

grazing or cutting the sward during the spring and summer months, with cuttings removed in late summer after the bird breeding season

You must not do the following on the grass sward:

graze it with livestock during the autumn and winter months (usually from early October until mid-March)

apply pesticides, except for herbicides to weed wipe or spot treat to control injurious weeds , invasive non-native species , nettles or bracken

apply any fertilisers or manures from late summer until mid-winter (usually from mid-August until the end of January) – this is to reduce the risk of runoff

apply any livestock manures with 100 kilograms (kg) or more of total nitrogen per ha per year

where you do not use livestock manures, apply nitrogen fertiliser to supply 50kg or more per ha of total nitrogen per year

supplementary feed, except for non-energy based mineral blocks

You can maintain an existing grass sward 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 SW7 (arable reversion to grassland with low fertiliser input)

When to do it

If you’re establishing a new grass sward to meet this action, you must:

sow the mix by early autumn, within 12 months of this action’s start date

maintain it at the same location until this action’s end date

If you’re maintaining an existing grass sward to meet this action, you must do this until this action’s end 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 written evidence that land entered into this action is either:

at risk of soil erosion or surface runoff – you can use a soil management plan you’ve already produced for CSAM1 or SAM1 to identify this

important for buffering sensitive habitats

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, including details of the seed mix used

stocking records to show grazing activity at a land parcel level

input records of nitrogen application

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 this 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, OFC1, OFM1, PRF1, PRF2

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

SFI 2023 actions IPM1, NUM1, SAM1

CSHT actions from 2025 CAGF1, CAGF2, CAGF3, CAGF4, CPAC1, CSP13, CSP14, CSP15, CSP20, CSP21, CSP9, CWS1, CWS3

CS options OR1, OT1

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.

What to sow

This action explains the minimum number of grass species required (under ‘What to do’).

You can tailor your choice of grass species to your soil type, how and when you plan to cut your sward.

The following species will grow in most conditions and can form part of a basic grass seed mixture:

timothy (use with care as this is tussocky, vigorous and can become dominant)

cocksfoot (use with care as this is tussocky, vigorous and can become dominant)

crested dogstail

ed fescue

smooth stalked meadow grass

You can increase the environmental benefits by adding wildflowers such as:

ox-eye daisy

black knapweed

bird’s foot trefoil

common sorrel

Managing the sward

Controlling weeds and cutting the sward regularly in the first 1 to 2 years of the sward being established will encourage grasses to grow.

Cutting the grass sward

Before you cut the sward, check it for signs of nesting birds. Birds, nests and eggs are protected by law , so if you see signs of nesting birds, delay cutting until the birds have fledged.

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