BFS2: Buffer in-field ponds on arable 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
£681 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 (10m to 20m) 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 wide grass buffer strip around a pond that:
- has an intact grass sward throughout the year, without tracks and compacted areas
- is left to develop a mix of tussocky grasses, flowering plants and low scrub
- has minimal poaching by livestock
The purpose of this is to:
- protect ponds from nutrient leaching and sediment runoff
- help improve water quality
- provide a habitat for wildlife
Where you can do this action
You can do this action on agricultural land located below the moorland line that’s:
- adjacent to a pond
- an eligible land type (as defined in section 5.1 ‘Eligible land types for SFI’ in the SFI scheme information) – at the start of this action’s duration, if the land type changes because of this action, it will not affect eligibility (for example, allowing scrub to develop)
- registered with an eligible land cover on your digital maps
- declared with a land use code which is compatible with the eligible land cover
You cannot do this action around ponds associated with industrial features such as effluent ponds, balancing ponds or small water supply reservoirs.
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 | Ineligible – you must not enter any area with an historic or archaeological feature into this action. This only affects the area where the feature is located in a land parcel. You can apply for this action on the remaining area in the land parcel if it’s eligible. |
Available area you can enter into this action
Total or 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 around a pond that:
- is at least 10m wide along its entire length and up to 20m wide (on average in each land parcel) – it can be more than 20m wide, but you’ll only be paid for the 20m width
- extends between the pond edge and the edge of the arable land
The grass strip does not need to surround the entire pond. You can choose how much of the pond to buffer.
To establish the grass strip, you must either:
- allow the area to regenerate naturally
- sow the area
Once it’s established, you must manage it in a way that can reasonably be expected to achieve this action’s aim.
You must make sure the grass strip is in addition to any regulatory requirements relating to buffer strips.
You must not:
- cut the grass strip, except to prevent scrub from developing on more than half of its area
- cut the strip during the bird breeding season, as birds, nests and eggs are protected by law
- 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 WT2 (buffering in-field ponds and ditches on arable land)
When to do it
You must:
- establish the grass strip within the first 12 months of this action’s duration
- maintain the grass 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
Evidence to keep
You must 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, CIPM1, CNUM1, CSAM1 |
| 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
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. The land type needs to be eligible at the start of this action’s duration. If the land type changes because of this action, it will not affect eligibility (for example, allowing scrub to develop). Eligibility of protected land - updated link to section 10.3 ‘SSSI consent’ in the SFI scheme information.
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First published.