How to do the SFI actions for integrated pest management
Source: gov.uk (2025-03-27)

Find out how you could do the SFI actions for integrated pest management.

It’s up to you how you complete each SFI action, as long as you do it in a way that can reasonably be expected to achieve the action’s aim (which is described in each action).

This voluntary guidance includes advice on how you could do the SFI actions for integrated pest management (IPM1, IPM2, IPM3 and IPM4).

You may find it helpful to read this guidance, but you do not have to follow it. The requirements you must follow for each SFI action are explained in the ‘Details of the SFI actions’ (https://www.gov.uk/government/collections/sustainable-farming-incentive-guidance#details-of-the-sfi-actions-in-the-sfi-2023-offer-), which you can find in either:
- section 2 of the SFI handbook (https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/sfi-handbook-for-the-sfi-2023-offer)
- the webpage versions of the details of the SFI actions (https://www.gov.uk/government/collections/sustainable-farming-incentive-guidance#details-of-the-sfi-actions-in-the-sfi-2023-offer-)
How to complete an integrated pest management assessment and produce a plan (IPM1)

What you’re aiming to achieve

The aim of IPM1 (https://www.gov.uk/guidance/sfi-actions-for-integrated-pest-management#ipm1-assess-integrated-pest-management-and-produce-a-plan) is that you:

understand the benefits, costs, impacts and risks of your current approach to crop pest, weed and disease management for your land

effectively plan how to adopt a range of integrated pest management methods appropriate to your farm

Finding a ‘BASIS qualified adviser’

You can use the BASIS ‘Find an Adviser’ tool (https://www.basis-reg.co.uk/find-an-adviser) (available from late summer 2023) to help you find a BASIS qualified advisor to:
- complete an integrated pest management (IPM) assessment
- help you to produce a written IPM plan.
Completing an IPM assessment

You can choose how the BASIS qualified adviser completes the IPM assessment required by IPM1. There is no standard format.

You can find more general guidance about IPM in the following:

Agriculture and Horticulture Development Board’s (AHDB) IPM hub (https://ahdb.org.uk/integrated-pest-management-ipm-hub)

Linking Environment and Farming’s (LEAF) ‘Simply Sustainable Integrated Pest Management’ guidance (https://s3-eu-west-1.amazonaws.com/leaf-website/Simply-Sustainable-Integrated-Pest-Management-FINAL.pdf)

You may also find it helpful to read the Agricultural Industries Confederation’s (AIC) examples of opportunities for using IPM, which have been promoted by the Voluntary Initiative in:

arable farming (https://voluntaryinitiative.org.uk/media/1unhmvuc/aic-ipm-arable-infographic-final_vi.pdf)

horticulture (https://voluntaryinitiative.org.uk/media/gqgk52k1/aic-ipm-horticulture-infographic-final_vi.pdf)

Producing a written IPM plan

You can choose how to produce the written IPM plan required by IPM1. There is no standard format. You may find it helpful to use the Voluntary Initiative IPM plan templates (https://voluntaryinitiative.org.uk/schemes/integrated-pest-management/).

The written IPM plan could include aspects such as how you could use an IPM approach to help minimise risks associated with the use of plant protection products. For example:

crop rotations

using resistant crop varieties

establishing a flower-rich grass margin close to cropped areas to provide habitat for natural crop pest predators

How to establish and maintain flower-rich grass margins, blocks, or in-field strips (IPM2)

What you’re aiming to achieve

The aim of IPM2 (https://www.gov.uk/guidance/sfi-actions-for-integrated-pest-management#ipm2-flower-rich-grass-margins-blocks-or-in-field-strips) is that there are grass margins, blocks or in-field strips containing flowering plants during the summer months into early autumn.

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

To help you decide how to do IPM2, you may find it helpful to do IPM1 (assess integrated pest management and produce a plan) (https://www.gov.uk/guidance/sfi-actions-for-integrated-pest-management#ipm1-assess-integrated-pest-management-and-produce-a-plan).

Choosing a seed mix

IPM2 (https://www.gov.uk/guidance/sfi-actions-for-integrated-pest-management#ipm2-flower-rich-grass-margins-blocks-or-in-field-strips) explains the minimum requirement for grass species and wildflower species in the seed mix (under ‘What to do’).

Grass species could include: common bent, crested dog’s tail, creeping bent, rough stalked meadow grass, smooth stalked meadow grass, sweet vernal grass, slender red fescue, sheep’s fescue, smaller cat’s-tail.

Flower species could include: agrimony, bird’s-foot trefoil, black knapweed, field scabious, lady’s bedstraw, greater knapweed, 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 IPM2 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 invertebrates.

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

You can sow the area of flower-rich grass as a margin, in-field strip or block. There’s no minimum or maximum area. Using wide margins or in-field strips, or large blocks (for example, at least 0.5 hectares (ha)) can help to provide a buffer for beneficial insects when fields are being sprayed.

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 pollinators and other beneficial insects (such as crop pest predators). For example, you could space 5 blocks of 0.5ha evenly across 100ha to allow pollinators and crop pest predators to move across that area.

It will usually help to use sites that:

receive plenty of sunlight, to help the plants establish

are low in soil fertility, as grasses and weeds can dominate fertile areas and will compete with the flowers

The margin, block or strip can be located:

to square up cultivated areas, which may help to speed up farm operations

close to cropped areas, if you’re using it to help with an IPM approach

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.

You may have already cultivated land immediately next to a hedgerow if your SFI 2023 agreement started 1 January 2024 or later. This is because:

the cross compliance rule (GAEC7a) for 2m uncultivated land next to hedgerows ended on 31 December 2023

the hedgerow management rules (https://www.gov.uk/guidance/hedgerow-management-rules-buffer-strips#buffer-strip-rules) which require 2m uncultivated land next to hedgerows did not come into force until 23 May 2024 (and the rules did not take practical effect until 1 July 2024)

In this case, you do not need to move the flower-rich grass margins, blocks or in-field strips. However, you cannot cultivate land within 2m of the centre of the hedgerow when you re-establish them.

Sowing 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 will 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 the case between March and mid-September – as wildflowers can grow slowly, try to sow by the end of August to avoid frost damage

You can broadcast the seeds onto the surface of the seedbed to help germination. Alternatively, you can 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’ve sown the seeds can improve seed-to-soil contact, retain moisture and reduce the risk of slug damage.

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

During establishment

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. See ‘cutting the margin, block or in-field strip’ below.

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 as long as it’s done in a way that could reasonably be expected to achieve the aim of IPM2 (described above).

To help you achieve the 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

How to establish a companion crop on arable and horticultural land (IPM3)

What you’re aiming to achieve

The aim of IPM3 (https://www.gov.uk/guidance/sfi-actions-for-integrated-pest-management#ipm3-companion-crop-on-arable-and-horticultural-land) is that you establish a companion crop.

Choosing what to sow

The species and type of companion crop you choose will be determined by:

the main arable or horticultural crop you’re growing

soil conditions

the crop pest to be controlled

To help you decide what companion crop to use for IPM3 and how to sow it, you may find it helpful to do IPM1 (assess integrated pest management and produce a plan) (https://www.gov.uk/guidance/sfi-actions-for-integrated-pest-management#ipm1-assess-integrated-pest-management-and-produce-a-plan).

Your seed supplier can help you choose what to sow and advise you on an overall sowing rate.

Sowing the companion crop

IPM3 requires you to establish the companion crop so it’s growing with the main arable or horticultural crop. You can do this by trap cropping, inter-cropping, or undersowing.

Trap cropping is sowing the companion crop alongside the main arable or horticultural crop, so plants grow to attract crop pests away from the main crop.

You can sow your trap crop:

around the field in plots or in between the main arable or horticultural crop

before, at the same time, or after sowing your main crop

Find out more about trap cropping in the AHDB’s guidance on using companion cropping to manage cabbage stem flea beetle in oilseed rape (https://ahdb.org.uk/news/can-companion-crops-give-osr-the-edge-over-csfb).

Intercropping is sowing the companion crop with the main arable or horticultural crop and harvesting them together. This can help to suppress weeds, reduce disease and crop pests, and provide nutrients.

Find out more about intercropping on the Processors and Growers Research Organisation website (https://www.pgro.org/).

Undersowing is sowing a secondary companion crop to form a living mulch beneath the main arable or horticultural crop. This can help to retain nutrients, protect against soil erosion and control weeds.

The secondary crop can:

be planted at the same time or after the main arable or horticultural crop

grow on after the main crop is harvested

Find out more about undersowing in the AHDB information on:

undersowing crops with clover or grass (https://ahdb.org.uk/knowledge-library/undersowing-clover#:~:text=Undersowing%20crops%20with%20clover%20or,maturing%20and%20resistant%20to%20lodging.)

undersowing maize (https://ahdb.org.uk/knowledge-library/undersowing-maize)

When you establish the arable or horticultural crop to grow with the companion crop, 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.

You may have already cultivated land immediately next to a hedgerow if your SFI 2023 agreement started 1 January 2024 or later. This is because:

the cross compliance rule (GAEC7a) for 2m uncultivated land next to hedgerows ended on 31 December 2023

the hedgerow management rules (https://www.gov.uk/guidance/hedgerow-management-rules-buffer-strips#buffer-strip-rules) which require 2m uncultivated land next to hedgerows did not come into force until 23 May 2024 (and the rules did not take practical effect until 1 July 2024)

In this case, you can leave the main arable or horticultural crop with the companion crop at its current location. However, you cannot cultivate land within 2m of the centre of the hedgerow when you re-establish the arable or horticultural crop which will be grown with the companion crop.

How to manage arable and horticultural crops without using insecticide (IPM4)

What you’re aiming to achieve

The aim of IPM4 (https://www.gov.uk/guidance/sfi-actions-for-integrated-pest-management#ipm4-no-use-of-insecticide-on-arable-crops-and-permanent-crops) is that you do not use plant protection products containing insecticide.

Managing arable and horticultural crops without using insecticide

IPM4 requires you not to apply any plant protection products, including seed dressings, containing insecticide on land entered into this action.

You can apply other plant protection products such as herbicides, fungicides or plant regulators on land entered into IPM4. You can also use molluscicides, such as slug pellets.

You can find information on authorised plant protection products containing insecticides on the Health and Safety Executive website (https://www.hse.gov.uk/pesticides/databases/index.htm).

As an alternative to using insecticide, you can use an IPM approach. You may find it helpful to complete IPM1 (assess integrated pest management and produce a plan) (https://www.gov.uk/guidance/sfi-actions-for-integrated-pest-management#ipm1-assess-integrated-pest-management-and-produce-a-plan) to help you identify and discuss opportunities for using IPM with a BASIS qualified adviser.

You can create habitats for natural crop pest predators and use companion cropping to provide protection from crop pests. To do this, you could consider doing the following SFI actions on the same area within a land parcel as IPM4:

SAM2: Multi-species winter cover (https://www.gov.uk/guidance/sfi-actions-for-soils#sam2-multi-species-winter-cover)

IPM3: Companion crop on arable and horticultural land (https://www.gov.uk/guidance/sfi-actions-for-integrated-pest-management#ipm3-companion-crop-on-arable-and-horticultural-land)

AHL2: Winter bird food on arable and horticultural land (https://www.gov.uk/guidance/sfi-actions-for-farmland-wildlife-on-arable-and-horticultural-land#ahl2-winter-bird-food-on-arable-and-horticultural-land)

Also, you may be able to do the following SFI actions on a different area in the same land parcel as IPM4 as part of an IPM approach. This is only possible if it’s an eligible land type for the action and the area used for the action does not overlap with the area used for IPM4:

IPM2: Flower-rich grass margins, blocks or in-field strips (https://www.gov.uk/guidance/sfi-actions-for-integrated-pest-management#ipm2-flower-rich-grass-margins-blocks-or-in-field-strips)

AHL1: Pollen and nectar flower mix (https://www.gov.uk/guidance/sfi-actions-for-farmland-wildlife-on-arable-and-horticultural-land#ahl1-pollen-and-nectar-flower-mix)

AHL4: 4m to 12m grass buffer strip on arable and horticultural land (https://www.gov.uk/guidance/sfi-actions-for-buffer-strips#ahl4-4m-to-12m-grass-buffer-strip-on-arable-and-horticultural-land)