AHW2: Supplementary winter bird food
What you must do to get paid for this action and advice on how to do it.
This is an action in the Sustainable Farming Incentive (SFI) scheme: expanded offer for 2024. You must read the SFI scheme information to understand the scheme rules and how to apply.
Duration
3 years
How much you’ll be paid
£732 per tonne per year – maximum of 1 tonne of supplementary winter bird food (action AHW2) for every 2 hectares (ha) of winter bird food on arable and horticultural land (action CAHL2).
Action’s aim
This action’s aim is that over the winter until mid-spring there’s a mix of seeds spread on the ground at multiple feeding areas which are:
- firm and free draining, such as farm tracks or hard standing areas
- close to areas of winter bird food, enhanced overwinter stubbles or game cover
The purpose of this is to provide seed-eating farmland birds with supplementary food when:
- seed is in short supply in the late winter period (known as the hungry gap)
- their breeding season starts
Where you can do this action
For winter supplementary feeding, you can only apply for this action if CAHL2 (winter bird food) is included in your agreement.
What to do
You must spread a winter supplementary feeding mix in a way that can reasonably be expected to achieve this action’s aim, including:
- dividing the total weight of mix as equally as possible between the multiple feeding areas
- spreading the mix at least once a week from over the winter until mid-spring in the following year (usually from early December to late April)
You must use a winter supplementary feeding seed mix that contains both:
- cereals (not maize) – these should make up no more than 70% of the total mix by weight
- small non-cereal seeds – these should make up at least 30% of the total mix by weight, with no individual species being more than 50% of the non-cereal element by weight
The small non-cereal seeds element must contain at least 3 of the following species:
- canary seed
- linseed
- oilseed rape
- red millet
- sunflowers
- white millet
You must not:
- use feed hoppers to supply more than around 10% of the seed mix during each feeding period (from later winter to mid-spring)
- use tailings (small seeds and chaff removed from the harvested crops) in the seed mix
You must keep a written ‘feeding diary’ which includes:
- details of the mix used, including the weight of the cereals and small non-cereal seeds elements and cost
- feeding dates
- method of feeding – spreading or hopper
- amount fed
- location of feeding areas
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.
In the final year of this action’s duration, you must do this action until mid-spring, or this action’s end date, whichever is earlier.
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
Advice to help you do this action will be published before applications are fully launched from summer 2024. It will not be part of this action’s requirements.
Evidence to keep
You must keep the required written feeding diary. This can be recorded on paper or electronically. 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. Some actions or options can only be done on the same area if they’re done at a different time of year to this action. For example, winter cover followed by a summer companion crop. Read ‘What to do’ and ‘When to do it’ to find out when this action must be done.
| Scheme | Action or option codes |
|---|---|
| SFI 2024 actions | Same as base action |
| SFI 2023 actions | Same as base action |
| CS options | Same as base action |
| ES options | Same as base action |
| SFI pilot standards | Same as base action |
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 6 ‘Eligible land in other funding schemes’ for more information.
You can do the following actions or options on the eligible boundaries of a land parcel entered into this action:
- SFI 2024 actions: CHRW1, CHRW2, CHRW3, BND1, BND2 and WBD2
- SFI 2023 actions: HRW1, HRW2, HRW3
- CS option BE3 (management of hedgerows)
- the introductory level of the SFI pilot hedgerows standard