CAHL4: 4m to 12m grass buffer strip on arable and horticultural land
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

£515 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 (6m to 12m) 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 grass buffer strip:
- with an intact grass sward throughout the year
- without tracks, compacted areas or poaching
The purpose of this is to:
- protect existing landscape and heritage features
- provide habitat for wildlife
- prevent pollutants, such as sediment and nutrients, from being carried in surface water runoff, if located next to a watercourse
- support an integrated pest management approach, if located close to cropped areas, which can help to reduce costs and improve farm resilience
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
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 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 on land entered into this action that’s:
- at least 4m to 12m wide (on average in each land parcel) - it can be more than 12m wide, but you’ll only be paid for the 12m width
- on the edge of arable and horticultural land
The grass strip must buffer an existing landscape feature, or certain heritage features, such as:
- hedgerows
- stone walls
- woodland
- ditches, rivers and streams
- upstanding historic or archaeological features, such as earthworks, in-field structures or buildings
You can also locate the grass buffer strip next to:
- trackways that channel run-off water directly into a watercourse
- fence lines that form links between areas of wildlife habitat
You must make sure the grass strip is in addition to any regulatory requirements relating to buffer strips.

Once the grass strip is established, you must manage it in a way that can reasonably be expected to achieve this action’s aim.

During late summer, after the bird breeding season, you must cut part of the grass strip’s width next to the edge of the crop or fallow land. You must do this along as much of the strip’s length as possible. This is to provide some shorter vegetation and a range of habitat types.

You must not do any of the following on the grass buffer strip once it’s established:
- use it for regular vehicular access, turning or storage (for example, storing bales or machinery)
- apply fertilisers or 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 grass buffer strip to get paid for this action if it:
- meet this action’s requirements
- are not already being paid for under another environmental land management scheme option, such as Countryside Stewardship (CS) option SW1 (4m to 6m buffer strip on cultivated land)
When to do it

You must:
- establish the grass buffer strip within the first 12 months of this action’s duration
- maintain the same area of grass buffer strip in 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
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
- 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 with 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.

How and where to establish the grass buffer strip

You can establish the grass buffer strip by either:
- sowing a seed mix
- using natural regeneration
This action explains:
- which landscape features the grass strip is required to buffer (under ‘What to do’)
- that the 4m to 12m wide grass strip must be in addition to any regulatory requirements relating to buffer strips
You are required by law to have 2m buffer strips next to hedgerows. This means you need to establish the 4m to 12m wide grass strip at least 2m from 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.

To help you decide where to locate the grass buffer strip, you may find it helpful to do CSAM1 (assess soil, produce a soil management plan and test soil organic matter).

Sowing a seed mix

Sowing a seed mix can establish the grass buffer more quickly, which can reduce the risk of soil erosion.

You can choose a seed mix that contains native grass species, such as:
- timothy
- cocksfoot
- crested dog’s tail
- red fescue
- smooth-stalked meadow grass
It can help the seeds to germinate if they’re sown into a seedbed that’s:
- firm, consolidated, fine, level and weed free
- moist, which will usually be the case in the autumn – you can sow in the spring, but you may need to increase the sowing rate, depending on weather and soil type
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). Small seeds may 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
- keep moisture
- reduce the risk of slug damage
Your seed supplier can:
- help you choose a seed mix that’s the best match for your land and local conditions
- advise you on an overall sowing rate for the seed mix you choose
Using natural regeneration

Using natural regeneration means the grasses in the buffer strip are local to your area. It can take longer to establish the buffer strip, but it may cost less.

To encourage the seeds that are already in the soil to germinate, you can cultivate the soil between spring and late summer.

Maintaining the established grass buffer strip

Once the grass buffer strip is established, this action requires you to maintain it by managing it in a way that can reasonably be expected to achieve this action’s aim.

Cutting part of the grass buffer strip’s width

This action requires you to cut part of the grass strip’s width next to the edge of the crop or fallow land during late summer (after the bird breeding season).

It’s up to you how much of the buffer strip’s width you cut. Cutting up to half of the width from the edge of the crop or fallow land can help to provide:
- short grass for birds to forage in (such as grey partridge chicks)
- mid-length grass for species like brown hares
- long, rarely cut tussocky grass to give shelter and nesting places for birds and invertebrates
You can stagger cutting, so you do not cut all your buffer strips at the same time. during late summer. This will usually mean there’s always habitat available for invertebrates and small mammals.

Where possible, remove the cut vegetation to limit weeds and reduce the risk of it smothering the flower species. If this is impractical, you can finely chop the vegetation to spread it as thinly as possible.

Controlling weeds

You may need to control weeds when they appear. To control weeds like docks, nettles, thistles and common ragwort, you can cut the affected area, providing there’s still an intact grass sward. This action also allows you to use herbicides to weed wipe or spot treat weeds.