CIPM2: Flower-rich grass margins, blocks or in-field strips
Source: gov.uk (2025-03-27)

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 (https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/sustainable-farming-incentive-scheme-expanded-offer-for-2024) to understand the scheme rules and how to apply.

Duration

3 years

How much you’ll be paid

£798 per hectare (ha) per year

Action’s aim

This action’s aim is that there’s an established multi-annual flower-rich grass mix which:
- is growing in margins, blocks or in-field strips
- produces flowering plants during the spring and summer months, into early autumn
The purpose of this is to:
- encourage natural crop pest predators as part of an integrated pest management approach if located close to cropped areas
- provide habitat and foraging sites for invertebrates, including natural crop pest predators, wild pollinators such as bumblebees, solitary bees, butterflies and hoverflies, and farmland birds
Where you can do this action

You can do this action on agricultural land located below the moorland line that’s:
- an eligible land type (as defined in section 5.1 ‘Eligible land types for SFI’ (https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/sustainable-farming-incentive-scheme-expanded-offer-for-2024/sfi-scheme-information-expanded-offer-for-2024) in the SFI scheme information)
- registered with an eligible land cover on your digital maps
- declared with a land use code (https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/rural-payments-land-use-codes-2024/land-use-codes-2024) which is compatible with the eligible land cover
This is a ‘limited area’ action. The total eligible area you enter into any combination of one of more of the ‘limited area’ actions must not be more than 25% of the total agricultural area of your farm. Read section 1.3 ‘SFI actions with a limited area’ (https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/sustainable-farming-incentive-scheme-expanded-offer-for-2024/sfi-scheme-information-expanded-offer-for-2024) in the SFI scheme information for more details (including a list of the ‘limited area’ actions).

Eligible land

Eligibility of protected land

Available area you can enter into this action

Part of the available area in a land parcel.

Rotational or static action

This action is rotational or static. This means you can either:
- move its location for the second and third years of this action’s duration
- do it at the same location each year of this action’s duration
What to do

You must establish a flower-rich grass mix as a margin, block or in-field strip on land entered into this action.

You must use a seed mix which includes at least both:
- 4 grass species (not ryegrass) – these should make up no more than 90% of the total mix by weight
- 10 wildflower species – with no individual flower species being more than 25% of the total wildflower species element by weight
Once the flower-rich grass margin, block or in-field strip is established (usually from the second spring after sowing), you must maintain it. To do this you must manage it in a way that can reasonably be expected to achieve this action’s aim.

You must not do the following on the established flower-rich grass margin, block or in-field strip:
- cut or graze it with livestock in a way that means this action’s aim cannot reasonably be expected to be achieved
- use them for regular vehicular access, turning or storage (for example, storing bales or machinery)
- mechanically apply any fertilisers and manures
- apply pesticides, except for herbicides to weed wipe or spot treat to control injurious weeds (https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/identification-of-injurious-weeds), invasive non-native species (https://www.gov.uk/guidance/prevent-the-spread-of-harmful-invasive-and-non-native-plants#types-of-invasive-non-native-plants), or nettles
You can maintain an existing flower-rich grass margin, block or in-field 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 AB8 (flower rich margins and plots)
When to do it

If you’re establishing a new flower-rich grass margin, block or in-field strip to meet this action, you must:
- sow the mix by early autumn, within 12 months of this action’s start date
- maintain the mix at the same location until this action’s end date
If you’re maintaining an existing flower-rich grass margin, block or in-field strip to meet this action, you must do this until this action’s end date. You may need to oversow it within 12 months of this action’s start date, so it can reasonably be expected to achieve this action’s aim.

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 evidence to show what you’ve done to complete this action, such as:
- field operations at a land parcel level and associated invoices, including details of the seed mix used
- 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.

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’ (https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/sustainable-farming-incentive-scheme-expanded-offer-for-2024/sfi-scheme-information-expanded-offer-for-2024) 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.

Doing this action as part of an IPM approach

To help you decide how to do this action, you may find it helpful to do CIPM1: Assess integrated pest management and produce a planIPM1 (assess integrated pest management and produce a plan).

Choosing a seed mix

This action explains the minimum requirement for grass species and wildflower species in the seed mix (under ‘What to do’).

Grass species you could choose include:
- common bent
- creeping bent
- crested dog’s tail
- rough stalked meadow grass
- sheep’s fescue
- slender red fescue
- smaller cat’s-tail
- smooth stalked meadow grass
- sweet vernal grass
Flower species you could choose include:
- agrimony
- bird’s-foot trefoil
- black knapweed
- field scabious
- greater knapweed
- lady’s bedstraw
- meadow buttercup
- ox-eye daisy
- red campion
- red clover
- ribwort plantain
- sainfoin
- salad burnet
- self-heal
- sorrel
- white campion
- wild carrot
- yarrow
- yellow rattle
You can choose to sow a seed mix containing more wildflower species than this action requires. Using an enhanced mix can be beneficial as it retains more flower species for longer and is likely to mean less frequent re-sowing. It can also help to provide a more varied mix of flowers for beneficial insects.

Your seed supplier can help you choose a seed mix that’s the best match for your land and local conditions.

Where to sow the seed mix

When you establish the flower-rich grass margins, blocks or in-field strips, by law you cannot cultivate or apply fertilisers or pesticides to land within 2m of the centre of a hedgerow. Read the guidance on Hedgerow management rules; buffer strips (https://www.gov.uk/guidance/hedgerow-management-rules-buffer-strips#buffer-strip-rules) to understand how these rules apply to you.

It will usually help to sow the seed mix on sites that:
- receive plenty of sunlight, to help plants establish
- are low in soil fertility, as grasses and weeds can dominate fertile areas and will compete with the flowers
You can choose to sow the seed mix:
- in wide margins or in-field strips, or large blocks (for example, around at least 0.5ha) to help provide a buffer for beneficial insects when you’re spraying fields
- close to cropped areas, to provide habitat for natural crop pest predators as part of an IPM approach
- to square off cultivated areas, which may help to speed up farm operations
Sowing a number of margins, in-field strips or blocks, spaced as evenly as possible across your farm, will create a network of habitats for beneficial insects. For example, you could space 5 blocks of 0.5ha evenly across 100ha to allow beneficial insects to move across that area.

How to sow the seed mix

Your seed supplier can advise you on an overall sowing rate for the seed mix you choose. The recommended minimum seed rate for flowers in the mix is 2 kilograms (kg) per hectare.

It’ll help the seeds to germinate if they’re sown into a seedbed that’s:
- firm, consolidated, fine, level and weed free
- warm and moist, which will usually be between March and mid-September (as wildflowers can grow slowly, try to sow by the end of August to avoid frost damage)
You can either:
- broadcast the seeds onto the surface of the seedbed to help germination
- shallow-drill the seeds up to a depth of 1 centimetre (cm), as small seeds usually struggle to germinate when sown deeper than 1cm.
If the soil is dry enough, rolling after you have sown the seeds can improve seed-to-soil contact, retain moisture and reduce the risk of slug damage.

Establishing the flower-rich grass margins, blocks or in-field strips

During the first spring and summer after sowing, it’s advisable to check the margin, block or in-field strip regularly to monitor germination. If establishment is poor, you may need to re-sow part or all of it. Your seed supplier can help you if you’re unsure what to do.

Cutting the margin, block or in-field strip regularly during the first 12 months after sowing will help to control weeds, so the sown plants can establish. You can do this whenever the weeds are just above the sown flowers, so they’re starting to shade them out. Read ‘cutting the margin, block or in-field strip’ for more information.

Maintaining the established margins, blocks or in-field strips

Once the margin, block or in-field strip is established, you can cut or graze it with livestock providing it’s done in a way that could reasonably be expected to achieve this action’s aim.

To help you achieve this action’s aim, you could do some or all of the following:
- cut in the spring (usually before the start of April), so vegetation is short enough to allow flower species to grow without competition from dominant grasses
- cut or graze the summer growth between mid-August and the end of October – this will help reduce soil fertility and boost flower numbers in subsequent years
- stagger the cutting or grazing, so all the margins, blocks or in-field strips are not grazed or cut at the same time – this will help to provide a constant supply of flowers for invertebrates
- leave an area within each margin, block or in-field strip (for example, 10%) uncut or ungrazed each year – this will help to provide a refuge for insects and other wildlife over winter
Cutting the margin, block or strip

If you’re cutting the margin, block or strip:
- check it for signs of nesting birds before you cut it – birds, nests and eggs are protected by law (https://www.gov.uk/guidance/wild-birds-protection-surveys-and-licences#what-you-must-not-do), so if you see signs of nesting birds, delay cutting until the birds fledge
- remove the cut vegetation, where possible, to help reduce the risk of it smothering the flower species and limit weeds – if it’s impractical to do this, you can finely chop them to spread them as thinly as possible