SCR1: Create scrub and open habitat mosaics
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
5 years
How much you’ll be paid
£588 per hectare (ha) per year
Action’s aim
This action’s aim is that there’s a mosaic of scrub, grasses and other flowering plants with:
- scrub cover allowed to develop, and managed so the mosaic is maintained
- a variety of species, heights, and structure
- growing trees and deadwood, where relevant
The purpose of this is to:
- provide pollen and nectar sources for beneficial insects, such as bumble bees, solitary bees and butterflies
- provide food and habitats for birds and mammals
- improve the quality of woodland edges and transitions between other habitats
- protect soils and watercourses by reducing soil erosion
Where you can do this action
You can do this action on land located below the moorland line that’s:
- got existing scrub cover on less than 10% of its area
- an eligible land type (read section 5.1 ‘Eligible land types for SFI’)
- registered with an eligible land cover on your digital maps
- declared with a land use code that’s 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 |
| Permanent horticultural crops | Permanent crops | TC01 |
| Improved permanent grassland | Permanent grassland | PG01 |
| Scrub | Scrub – ungrazeable Notional – scrub | WO25 NF03 |
Eligibility of protected land
| Protected land | Eligibility |
|---|---|
| Sites of special scientific interest (SSSIs) | Ineligible – you must not enter any area that’s designated as an SSSI into this action |
| Historic and archaeological features | Ineligible – you must not enter any area that contains an historic or archaeological feature into this action |
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 manage the area entered into this action in a way that can reasonably be expected to achieve this action’s aim, including:
- allowing scrub to regenerate naturally or by planting a variety of native scrub species, or a combination of both, so scrub cover develops on between 10% and 60% of the area
- controlling wild herbivores to allow scrub to develop and establish
- leaving any standing and fallen deadwood in place, if it’s safe to do so
- leaving any mature and veteran trees in place, if it’s safe to do so
- making sure tree guards do not damage growing trees, and removing them once trees are established
You must not:
- cut vegetation, unless it’s to control injurious weeds and invasive non-native species including non-native trees, soft and hard rush, nettles or bracken
- graze with livestock
- apply fertilisers, manures or lime
- apply pesticides, except for herbicides, to weed wipe or spot treat to control injurious weeds, invasive non-native species, nettles or bracken
- plough, cultivate, re-seed, harrow or roll
- release gamebirds
- use supplementary feed for game birds
- carry out drainage works or change existing drainage, without written permission before work starts
When to do it
You must do this action each year of its 5-year 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
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 evidence to show what you’ve done to complete this action, such as:
- field operations at a land parcel level and associated invoices
- photographs or 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 | CIPM1, CNUM1, CSAM1 | |
| SFI 2023 actions | IPM1, NUM1, SAM1 | |
| CS options | No CS revenue options | |
| 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’ 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