Many farmers and land managers will have selected options and entered new Sustainable Farming Incentive (SFI) agreements from 2024.  In order to satisfy the requirements of these agreements if you have an inspection, there are a wide range of actions that might need to be implemented and recorded.   

Here are our top tips on remaining compliant once your SFI agreement is up and running: 

1. Soil Samples – As an NFU Member you can get a 10% discount on soil samples with NRM https://cawood.co.uk/nrm/ Remember you don’t have to do all of your sampling in one go – by the end of the agreement, you need to have sampled all of the fields in the agreement.
2. Don’t forget to do your hedgerow records of condition, there are some apps which will help with this, such as https://hedgerowsurvey.ptes.org/healthy-hedgerows-survey . We recommend you take photographs as you go. Once you have finished recording, download the PDF summary documents off the website and save in a local folder with your photos – you will need them if you get an inspection. 
3. With lots of rotational options it can be hard to remember what you have in the ground and exactly where it is for each year of your agreement. Get some farm maps and mark them up with crops and options for each year of your agreement. This will help when you have to fill in declaration forms.
4. Take pictures of your seed mixes as they are delivered. Record any invoices to evidence herbal lay mixes, clover seeds, birdseed mix, pollen and nectar mixes etc. Save everything in an SFI folder on your computer / in your emails too.   
5. If you have signed up for Integrated Pest Management and Nutrient Management Plans these need to be completed by a suitably qualified professional. Remember – you need to review these every year with the person who produced them.    
6. For your rotational options, you don’t have to stick to a fixed area every year, as long as in years 2 and 3 you grow 50% of the area. Just keep a record of the areas grown each year. Equally, if you want to increase areas in a year you can, just remember to stay within the 25% rules for the key restricted options:  

• CIPM2 / IPM2: Flower-rich grass margins, blocks, or in-field strips  

• CAHL1 / AHL1: Pollen and nectar flower mix  

• CAHL2 / AHL2: Winter bird food on arable and horticultural land  

• CAHL3 / AHL3: Grassy field corners or blocks  

• CIGL1 / IGL1: Take improved grassland field corners or blocks out of management  

• CIGL2 / IGL2: Winter bird food on improved grassland (IGL2 in the SFI 2023 offer) 

• WBD3: In-field grass strips 

• AHW1: Bumblebird mix 

• AHW9: Unharvested cereal headland 

• AHW11: Cultivated areas for arable plants

If you are in any doubt about what is required, are considering adding to your agreement with the 2024 enhanced SFI options or are thinking about Capital Grant applications please give us a call to discuss how we can help.