Sustainable Farming Incentive (SFI) Codes & Actions
The Sustainable Farming Incentive (SFI) Codes & Actions page provides essential guidance on the codes, requirements, and actions farmers need to take to participate in the SFI scheme. Designed to support environmentally friendly and productive farming, the SFI offers financial rewards for implementing sustainable practices such as soil health improvement, biodiversity conservation, and water management. Here, you'll find a breakdown of the different SFI actions, their corresponding codes, and how to ensure compliance while maximizing the benefits of the scheme.
Last Updated: 01/02/2025
The information provided is given in good faith and is a guide only. Compliance to any legislation is the responsibility of the buyer and we accept no liability for non-compliance.
Actions for Soils
SFI Code: SAM2
Payment: £129/ha
Action: Multi Species Winter Cover Crop
DLF Mixtures
- Rapid Root
- Winter Graze
- N-Liven
- N-Trap
- N-Rich
- N-Joy
- N-Retain
- N-Trust
- Annual Fallow Mix
- Rescue Mix
- Buster
Action Aims & Guidance
Well established Mult-species Cover Crop over winter months. Sow a mix containing at least 2 species from one or more; brassicae, legumes, grass/cereals & herbs.
SFI Code: CSAM2
Payment: £129/ha
Action: Multi Species Winter Cover Crop
DLF Mixtures
- Annual Nectar Mix
- N-Liven
- N-Trap
- N-Rich
- N-Joy
- Annual Fallow Mix
- Rescue Mix
- Buster
Action Aims & Guidance
Well established Mult-species Cover Crop over winter months which will not be harvested as a cash crop. Sow a mix containing at least 2 species from TWO or more; brassicae, legumes, grass/cereals & herbs. Present between harvesting a cash crop and establishing the next one. Can be grazed, cover crop to protect soil from early Dec - late Feb.
SFI Code: SAM3
CSS Code: GS4
Payment: £382/ha
Action: Herbal Leys
DLF Mixtures
- Legume & Herb
- Herbal Meadow
- Multi Species GHL Mixture
Action Aims & Guidance
Grow a high qality herbal ley. Mixture of 5 grasses, 3 legumes and 5 herbs. Avoid festuloium and perennial ryegrass combined making up more than 70% of weight of total seed mix.
SFI Code: CSAM3
Payment: £382/ha
Action: Herbal Leys
DLF Mixtures
- Legume & Herb
- Herbal Meadow
- Multi Species GHL Mix
- Standard Herbal Ley
- SFI Herbal Legume Overseeding
- SFI Herbal Legume Overseeding (No Chicory)
Action Aims & Guidance
Grow a high quality herbal ley. Minimum a mixture of 1 grass species, 2 legume species and 2 herb or wildflower species minimum. Must be established by early autumn. Areas of flowering plants from Late Spring during summer. Suggested no more than 40kg of N/ha/yr. Must be established by early Autumn, maintained in same location until end of second summer after sowing.
SFI Code: SOH2
Payment: £163/ha
Action: Multi Species Spring-Sown Cover Crop
DLF Mixtures
- Annual Nectar Mix
- N-Liven
- N-Trap
- N-Rich
- N-Joy
- Annual Fallow Mix
- Rescue Mix
- Buster
- N-Trust
Action Aims & Guidance
Present between harvesting cash crop until next cash crop is established/after winter cover crop is destroyed. Must be established during spring(March - May), not a cash crop. Rapid growing seed mix containing 4 species, 2 species from two or more; brassicas, legumes, cereals/grasses, herbs. Not Japanese Reed Millet, Maize, Miscanthus, Reed Canary, Sorghum, Artichokes & Sweet Fennel. Can not be grazed.
SFI Code: SOH3
Payment: £163/ha
Action: Multi Species Summer-Sown Cover Crop
DLF Mixtures
- N-Trust
- Annual Nectar Mix
- N-Liven
- N-Trap
- N-Rich
- N-Joy
- Annual Fallow Mix
- Rescue Mix
- Buster
Action Aims & Guidance
Well established summer-sown multi-species cover crop present between harvesting a cash crop. Must be established during summer months (June - August) not harvested as cash crop. Mix must contain 4 species, including 2 species from two or more; brassica, legume, cereals/grasses or herbs. Not containing Jap Reed Millet, Maize, Miscanthus, Reed Canary, Sorghum, Artichokes, Sweet Fennel. Can not be grazed.
SFI Code: SOH4
Payment: £203/ha
Action: Winter Cover Following Maize Crops
DLF Mixtures
- N-Rich (must be sown by 1st week of October)
Action Aims & Guidance
Establish a quick growing cover crop asap after harvesting Maize crop in time to establish before Winter (no later than mid-October). It will not be harvested as a cash crop. Maintain a cover crop that was established by under-sowing the maize crop earlier in the year that remains after harvested.
Actions for Integrated Pest Management
SFI Code: IPM2
CSS Code: AB8
Payment: £798/ha
Action: Flower-rich grass margins, blocks, or in-field strips
DLF Mixtures
- BGM4
- BGM6
- Enhanced Margin Mix
Action Aims & Guidance
Must sow a seed mix containing; 4 grass species, not including ryegrass and not exceeding 90% of weight. 10 wildflower species not exceeding 25% total weight of wildflower components.
SFI Code: CIPM2
CSS Code: AB8
Payment: £798/ha
Action: Flower-rich grass margins, blocks, or in-field strips
DLF Mixtures
- BGM4
- BGM6
- Enhanced Margin Mix
Action Aims & Guidance
Established mulit-annual flower rich grass mix. Must procude flowering plants during Spring, Summer and into early Autumn. Must sow a seed mix containing; 4 grass species, not including ryegrass and not exceeding 90% of weight. 10 wildflower species not exceeding 25% total weight of wildflower components. Must be sown by early Autumn.
SFI Code: IPM3
Payment: £55/ha
Action: Companion Crop on arable and horticultural land
DLF Mixtures
Action Aims & Guidance
Trap Cropping, Inter-Cropping or Undersowing.
SFI Code: CIPM3
Payment: £55/ha
Action: Companion Crop on arable and horticultural land
DLF Mixtures
Action Aims & Guidance
Trap Cropping, Inter-Cropping or Undersowing.
Actions for Nutrient Management
SFI Code: NUM2
Payment: £102/ha
Action: Legumes on Improved Grassland
DLF Mixtures
- Any standard grass mix containing a legume
- Legume Fallow Mix
- Non Grass Legume Fallow
Action Aims & Guidance
Establish and maintain legumes, you can use one or more legume such as; Red Clover, White Clover, Alsike Clover, Sainfoin, Lucerne and Birdsfoot Trefoil. They must be growing from Spring until Early Autumn - they class this from March - September but have stated this may vary due to location etc.
SFI Code: CNUM2
Payment: £102/ha
Action: Legumes on Improved Grassland
DLF Mixtures
- Any standard grass mix containing a legume
- Legume Fallow Mix
- Non Grass Legume Fallow
Action Aims & Guidance
Establish and maintain legumes from Spring until early Autumn, you can use one or more legume such as; Red Clover, White Clover, Alsike Clover, Sainfoin, Lucerne and Birdsfoot Trefoil. They must be growing from Spring until Early Autumn - they class this from March - September but have stated this may vary due to location etc.
SFI Code: NUM3
CSS Code: AB15
Payment: £593/ha
Action: Legume Fallow
DLF Mixtures
- Legume Fallow Mix
- Non Grass Legume Fallow
- Annual Fallow Mix
- Annual Nectar Mix
- Buster
- N-Retain
- Nectar Rich Gold
- Nectar Rich Bronze
Action Aims & Guidance
Sow a seed mix containing at least 6 flowering species including legumes such as; Alsike Clover, Birdsfoot Trefoil, Black Medick, Vetch & Lucerne. The mix can also contain; non-legume flower species and grasses.
SFI Code: CNUM3
CSS Code: AB15
Payment: £593/ha
Action: Legume Fallow
DLF Mixtures
- Legume Fallow Mix
- Non Grass Legume Fallow
- Annual Fallow Mix
- Annual Nectar Mix
- Buster
- N-Retain
- Nectar Rich Gold
- Nectar Rich Bronze
Action Aims & Guidance
Sow a seed mix containing at least 6 flowering species including legumes such as; Alsike Clover, Birdsfoot Trefoil, Black Medick, Vetch & Lucerne. The mix can also contain; non-legume flower species and grasses. Must grow and flower from late Spring and during Summer months.
Actions for Farmland Wildlife on Arable & Horticultural Land
SFI Code: AHL1 or CAHL1
CSS Code: AB1
Payment: £739/ha
Action: Pollen and Nectar Flower Mix
DLF Mixtures
Action Aims & Guidance
Sow a grass-free seed mix containing at least 6 flower species, a single species is not to exceed 50% of the mix. The mix must contain 2 of the following; Common Knapweed, Musk Mallow, Oxeye Daisy, Wild Carrot & Yarrow.
SFI Code: AHL2
CSS Code: AB9
Payment: £853/ha
Action: Winter Bird Food on Arable and Horticultural Land
DLF Mixtures
- WBS1
- WBS2
- WBS3
- WBS4
- Feed & Cover
- Broadshot
- Northern WBS1
- Northern WBS2
- Farmland Bird No Cereal
- Traditional Game Cover
Action Aims & Guidance
Sow a mix of at least 6 species - NOT Artichokes, Reed Canary Grass, Giant/Intermediate Sorghum, Maize, Miscanthus, Sweet clover or Tic Beans.
SFI Code: CAHL2
CSS Code: AB9
Payment: £853/ha
Action: Winter Bird Food on Arable and Horticultural Land
DLF Mixtures
- WBS1
- WBS2
- WBS3
- WBS4
- Feed & Cover
- Broadshot
- Northern WBS1
- Northern WBS2
- Farmland Bird No Cereal
- Traditional Game Cover
Action Aims & Guidance
Sow a mix of at least 6 crops - NOT Artichokes, Reed Canary Grass, Giant/Intermediate Sorghum, Maize, Miscanthus, Sweet clover or Tic Beans. Grow and flower during the Spring and Summer months and set seed to produce small seeds from late Autumn until late Winter. It must flower in the first summer after sowing (end of June). If established after June must maintain in same location for 2 consecutive winters.
SFI Code: AHL4 or CAHL4
Payment: £515/ha
Action: 4m to 12m grass buffer strip on arable and horticultural land
DLF Mixtures
Action Aims & Guidance
Sow a seed mix of native grasses. Species could include; Timothy, Cocksfoot, Crested Dogstail, Red Fescue and SSMG.
SFI Code: AHW1
Payment: £747/ha
Action: Bumblebird Mix
DLF Mixtures
Action Aims & Guidance
Establish a multi annual mix of seed bearing crops and flowers. Produces small seeds for birds from late autumn until late winter. It must include 6 flower species and 6 seed-bearing crops with a maximum of 3 cereal crops from barley, oats, rye, triticale and wheat. Must be established between early Spring - early Autumn.
SFI Code: AHW2
Payment: £732/T/yr
Action: Supplementary Winter Bird Food
DLF Mixtures
Action Aims & Guidance
Over winter until mid spring theres a mix of seeds spread, spread once a week from early December to late April. The mix must contain cereals (not maize) not making up 70% of total mix by weight, and small non-cereal seeds to make up 30%. This must contain 3 of; canary seed, linseed, oilseed rape, red millet, sunflowers, white millet.
Actions for Farmland Wildlife on Improved Grassland
Actions for Buffer Strips
How to apply for the SFI scheme?
Applying for the Sustainable Farming Incentive (SFI) is a straightforward process. Follow these steps to get started:
- Check Your Eligibility – Ensure your farm meets the basic requirements for the scheme. You must have land in England and be eligible for the Basic Payment Scheme (BPS) or hold a rural land lease. More details can be found on the gov.uk website.
- Choose Your Actions – Review the available SFI actions and codes (as shown above) to select the sustainability practices that best suit your farm. These include soil health management, hedgerow protection, nutrient planning, and more.
- Prepare Your Application – Gather key details, including your land parcel information, farm map, and relevant agreements.
- Apply Online – Submit your application through the Rural Payments Agency (RPA) portal. This is the quickest and easiest way to apply.
- Receive Confirmation & Start – Once approved, you’ll receive a confirmation letter, and payments will begin after you complete the agreed actions.