BFS1: 12m to 24m watercourse buffer strip on cultivated land
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
£707 per hectare (ha) per year – calculate the hectarage by:
- measuring the length of the buffer strip in metres (m)
- multiplying that length by the relevant width (12m to 24m) to give the area in m2
- dividing that area by 10,000 to convert it into ha
Action’s aim
This action’s aim is that there’s a grass buffer strip on land at risk of soil erosion or surface runoff, which:
- is alongside a watercourse or pond
- has an intact sward throughout the year, without tracks, compacted areas or poaching
The purpose of this is to:
- protect watercourses
- reduce the risk of potential pollutants, such as sediment, pesticides and nutrients, being transported to watercourses in surface water runoff
- provide habitats for wildlife and form links to other habitats
- support an integrated pest management approach if located close to cropped areas
Where you can do this action
You can do this action on agricultural land located below the moorland line that’s:
- identified by you as being at risk of soil erosion or surface runoff – you must keep written evidence of this
- alongside a watercourse (ditch, pond, river or stream)
- an eligible land type (as defined in section 5.1 ‘Eligible land types for SFI’ in the SFI 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
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
| Protected land | Eligibility |
|---|---|
| Sites of special scientific interest (SSSIs) | Eligible – you must get SSSI consent before you do this action (read section 10.3 ‘SSSI consent’ in the SFI scheme information to find out how to do this) |
| Historic and archaeological features | Eligible – you must get a SFI HEFER before you do this action (read section 5.6 ’Land with historic or archaeological features’ in the SFI scheme information to find out how to do this) |
Available area you can enter into this action
Part of the available area in a land parcel.
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 and maintain a grass strip that’s:
- at least 12m wide and up to 24m wide (on average in each land parcel) – it can be more than 24m wide, but you’ll only be paid for the 24m width
- alongside a ditch, pond, river or stream, to create a buffer between the edge of the crop or fallow land and the watercourse
You must make sure the grass strip is in addition to any regulatory requirements relating to buffer strips.
Once the grass strip is established, you must manage it in a way that can reasonably be expected to achieve this action’s aim.
During late summer, after the bird breeding season, you must cut part of the grass strip’s width next to the edge of the crop or fallow land. You must do this along as much of the strip’s length as possible. This is to provide some shorter vegetation and a range of habitat types.
You must not do the following on the established grass strip:
- allow livestock to access it
- use it for regular vehicular access, turning or storage (for example, storing bales or machinery)
- apply fertilisers or manures
- apply pesticides, except for herbicides to weed wipe or spot treat to control injurious weeds, invasive non-native species, or nettles
You can maintain an existing grass strip 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 Countryside Stewardship (CS) option SW4 (12m to 24m watercourse buffer strip on cultivated land)
When to do it
You must:
- establish the grass buffer strip within the first 12 months of this action’s duration
- maintain the grass buffer strip throughout each subsequent year of this action’s duration
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 at risk of soil erosion or surface runoff. You can use the soil management plan produced for CSAM1 or SAM1 to identify this.
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
- 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. 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 | OFC3, OFC4, OFM4, OFM5, AGF1, AGF2, PRF2, CSAM1, CIPM1, CNUM1, |
| SFI 2023 actions | IPM1, NUM1, SAM1 |
| CS options | OR3, OR4, OT3, OT4 |
| ES options | No ES revenue options |
| SFI pilot standards | No area-based SFI pilot standards |
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’ in the SFI 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 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
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.
How and where to establish the grass buffer strip
You can establish the grass buffer strip by either:
- sowing a seed mix
- using natural regeneration
If you’re sowing a seed mix, to help the grass buffer strip to establish you can:
- remove any subsoil compaction to prepare a seedbed (except on land with historic or archaeological features)
- cut regularly in the first 12 to 24 months to encourage the grasses to tiller – try to avoid cutting when the soil is wet as that may cause compaction
This action requires you to locate the grass buffer strip on land that’s:
- identified by you as being at risk of soil erosion or surface runoff – you may find it helpful to do CSAM1 (assess soil, produce a soil management plan and test soil organic matter) to do this
- alongside a watercourse (ditch, pond, river or stream)
To intercept and slow runoff water, you can establish the grass buffer strip across a long, steep slope. Try to minimise the amount of water that is channelled along the edge of the buffer strip.
Maintaining the established grass buffer strip
Once the grass buffer strip is established, this action requires you to maintain it by managing it in a way that can reasonably be expected to achieve this action’s aim.
Cutting part of the grass buffer strip’s width
This action requires you to cut part of the grass strip’s width next to the edge of the crop or fallow land during late summer (after the bird breeding season).
It’s up to you how much of the buffer strip’s width you cut. Cutting up to half of the width from the edge of the crop or fallow land can help to provide:
- short grass for birds to forage in (such as grey partridge chicks)
- mid-length grass for species like brown hares
- long, rarely cut tussocky grass to give shelter and nesting places for birds and invertebrates
Remove the cut vegetation (where possible) to limit weeds and reduce the risk of it smothering the flower species. If this is impractical, you can finely chop the vegetation to spread it as thinly as possible.
Controlling weeds
You may need to control weeds when they appear. To control weeds like docks, nettles, thistles and common ragwort, you can cut the affected area, providing there’s still an intact grass sward. This action also allows you to use herbicides to weed wipe or spot treat weeds.
Updates to this page
Last updated 5 August 2024 + show all updates
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Where you can do this action - an eligible land type is defined in section 5.1 ‘Eligible land types for SFI’ in the SFI scheme information. Eligibility of protected land - updated link to section 10.3 ‘SSSI consent’ in the SFI scheme information. What to do - storing bales or machinery added as an example of ‘storage’. Published voluntary advice to help you do this action, but it's not part of this action’s requirements.
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First published.