WBD6: Remove livestock from intensive grassland during the autumn and winter (outside SDAs)
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
£115 per hectare (ha) per year
Action’s aim
This action’s aim is that, during the autumn and winter months, there’s intensive grassland next to a watercourse, with:
- no livestock on it
- minimal waterlogging, compaction and poaching
The purpose of this is to:
- improve soil structure
- reduce surface runoff and risk of diffuse pollution to the watercourse
- help to reduce the risk of flooding
Where you can do this action
You can do this action on agricultural land which drains directly into a watercourse (stream, river or lake) that’s:
- located outside severely disadvantaged areas (SDAs) below the moorland line (SDAs) below the moorland line
- intensive grassland – this means it typically receives more than 100kg of nitrogen per ha per year
- identified by you as being at risk of soil erosion or surface runoff – you must keep written evidence of this
- 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 which is compatible with the eligible land cover
Eligible land
| Eligible land type | Eligible land cover | Compatible land use code |
|---|---|---|
| Temporary grassland | Arable land | TG01 |
| Improved permanent grassland | Permanent grassland | PG01 |
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 5.5 ‘Land that’s a site of special scientific interest (SSSI)’) |
| Historic and archaeological features | Eligible – you must get a HEFER before you do this action (read section 5.6 ‘Land with historic or archaeological features’) |
Available area you can enter into this action
Total 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 remove all livestock from the land for at least 5 consecutive months during the autumn and winter months. This period will usually be between October and March.
For the purposes of this action, livestock includes cattle, sheep, goats, ponies and horses, as relevant.
You must keep a written record of:
- grazing activity on each land parcel entered into this action to show you’ve met the minimum livestock removal period required by this action
- input records showing that the grassland has received more than 100kg of nitrogen per hectare per year
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 the action until the end of your chosen minimum 5-month livestock removal period 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:
- 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
- the required written record of grazing activity and nitrogen application
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 | OFC1, OFM1, AGF1, AGF2, PRF1, PRF2, CIPM1, CNUM1, CSAM1 |
| SFI 2023 actions | IPM1, NUM1, SAM1 |
| CS options | SW15, SW16, OR1, OT1 |
| 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