SUSTAINABLE FARMING INCENTIVE – PILOT STARTING 2021 – ARABLE AND HORTICULTURAL LAND STANDARD

• sites for nesting and cover on 1% of eligible land
• habitats rich in insects and flowers on 2% of eligible land
• sown winter seed on 2% of eligible land

or as an alternative to the sown winter seed, you can provide winter seed food with these activities over a larger area of land:

• sow brassica fodder crops on 5% of land
• keep enhanced over-winter stubble until 31 July of the following year on 5% of land
• keep basic over-winter stubble on 10% of land
• keep whole crop cereal as over winter stubble on 10% of land

• create areas of bare ground for invertebrates
• provide nest boxes for birds
• create nesting plots for lapwing and stone curlew
• create and maintain grass strips
• create and maintain field corners
• use harvested low input cereal
• create and maintain herbal leys
• use unharvested low input cereal

• create and maintain flower-rich margins and plots
• create areas of bare ground for invertebrates
• create and maintain pollen and nectar plots
• create 2-year sown legume fallow
• create and maintain wildlife plots
• create cultivated margins and plots for arable plants
• create and maintain beetle banks
• use harvested low input cereal
• create and maintain herbal leys
• use unharvested low input cereal

• sow winter bird food plots in spring
• sow winter bird food plots in autumn
• leave stubbles over winter
• provide ryegrass seed-set for birds over winter
• use unharvested low input cereal

• sites for nesting and cover on 2% of eligible land
• habitats rich in insects and flowers on 3% of eligible land
• sown winter seed on 3% of eligible land

2. On 0.5% or 5ha (whichever largest) of the farmed area there will be one or more of the following habitats to support wildlife:

• cultivated plots for ground nesting birds
• beetle banks
• ungrazed legume fallows
• supplementary winter bird feeding
• This counts towards the 8% of land you need for the first action

Advice:

• create cultivated margins and plots for arable plants
• create nesting plots for lapwing and stone curlew
• create 2-year sown legume fallow
• provide supplementary winter food for birds

• sites for nesting and cover on 2% of eligible land
• habitats rich in insects and flowers on 4% of eligible land
• sown winter seed on 4% of eligible land

2. Same as Intermediate Level

3. Maintain areas of tall vegetation, scrub and ponds on an additional 2% of the farmed area included in the standard.

4. Support crop-pest predators:

• Locate areas that support crop-pest predators close to crops.
• provide at least one area in every cropped field 5ha or larger
• use these areas to subdivide fields larger than 20ha
• This counts towards the 10% of land you need for the first action at the advanced level.

Advice:

• create-areas-of-bare-ground-for-invertebrates
• create-and-maintain-pollen-and-nectar-plots
• create-and-maintain-beetle-banks

• Where there are in-field trees, there will be 10m buffers to protect tree roots.
• Additional payment on top of the base payment: £10 per tree

1. Same as Introductory level

Advice:

• guidance/maintain-in-field-trees

1. Use a nutrient management plan

Advice:

• create-and-use-a-nutrient-management-plan

2. Use low emission technologies

You must do at least one of the following:

• use low emission technologies (trailing hose and shoe or shallow injection) to apply organic slurries and other organic liquid manures

where you’re due to cultivate land, apply any organic manures, composted manures, sewage sludge and slurry within 12 hours

1. Same as Introductory level

2. Same as Introductory level

3. Carry out a nutrient budget and action plan to improve efficiency of nutrient use.

Carry out detailed soil mapping to test nutrient variations within fields, for example P, K, Mg and pH, on either:

• 25% of the farmed area each year or
• the entire farmed area once every 4 years

Advice:

• create-and-use-a-nutrient-management-plan

4. Carry out soil mapping across the farm to better target nutrient applications

Detailed soil mapping to test nutrient variations within fields, for example P, K, Mg and pH, on either:

• 25% of the farmed area each year or
• the entire farmed area once every 4 years

1. Same as Introductory level

2. Same as Introductory level

3. Same as Intermediate level

4. Same as Intermediate level

5. Apply fertilisers and pesticides with precision equipment.

Advice:

• use-precision-application-of-fertiliser-manure-and-other-inputs
• use-precision-pesticide-application-systems

• manage your ditches between 1 September and 1 April
• cut no more than half the length of bank vegetation in any year
• carry out in-channel management on a rotation of 3 years or longer

 Advice:

• create-and-manage-ditches-for-wildlife