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

1. Carrying out a soil assessment.

First year, across all land, assess:

• soil texture
• drainage slope
• connectivity to a waterbody or sensitive habitat
• Record and keep observations, and review the assessment every 2 years.

Every year, on at least 20% of the land:

• assess soil structure
• assess biological indicators, for example earthworm count
• analyse soil organic matter

Advice:

• complete a runoff and soil erosion risk assessment

1. Same as Introductory level

1. Same as Introductory level

2. Create a soil management plan

Produce this in the first year of your agreement to identify and action priorities to improve soil structure, soil carbon storage and soil biology and avoid and alleviate soil compaction. This should build on the soil assessments and include soil respiration or microorganism assessments.

• You must review the plan every 2 years.

Advice:

• create and use a soil management plan

1. Take measures to alleviate soil compaction identified in the soil assessment and soil management plan (soil management plan completed at advanced level only).

Measures include:

• sub-soiling
• cultivations
• additions of organic matter

natural soil recovery through resting the field

1. Same as Introductory level

Do not use sub-soiling or increase the depth of cultivation where there are known to be buried archaeological features.

Advice:

• remove soil compaction
• use controlled traffic farming

1. Establish green cover to provide dense over-winter ground cover across the whole field before the onset of winter rainfall. Retain the cover crop until late winter.

Ways you can achieve green cover include:

• sowing an autumn-sown crop to achieve dense ground cover across the whole field over winter
• establishing a quick-growing cover crop that will provide dense ground cover across the whole field over winter.

establish by mid-October on at least 5% of arable land – this should be targeted at land at the highest risk of erosion or surface runoff identified in the soil assessment

1. Same as Introductory level plus

Establish by the end of September on at least 10% of arable land – this should be targeted at land at risk of erosion or surface runoff and light sandy soil identified in the soil assessment.

Advice:

• use cover crops or green manure

1. Same as Introductory and Intermediate levels

Establish by the end of September on at least 15% of arable land – this should be targeted at land at risk of erosion and surface runoff, light sandy or on shallow soils identified in the soil assessment.

1. Boost soil organic matter levels and improve soil structure and biology by the application of organic matter, incorporation of straw, growing green manures, cover crops.

Organic matter can be from organic manures, certified compost, incorporation of straw or by growing green manures and cover crops

• do this on 10% of arable land every year

Advice:

• use cover crops or green manure
• use organic fertiliser

• on 15% every year. In addition to the Introductory level, this level can also include the introduction of grass or herbal leys into the arable rotation

Advice:

• increase soil organic matter
• create and maintain herbal leys

• on 20% every year. In addition to the Introductory level, this level can also include the introduction of grass or herbal leys into the arable rotation

• This should be done on at least 25% of arable land – this includes temporary grassland.

1. Same as Intermediate level

Advice:

• use min-till or no-till farming