Winter bird food on improved grassland (updated for SFI26)

What you must do

You must maintain improved grassland entered into this action. To maintain the improved grassland, you must manage it in a way that can reasonably be expected to achieve this action’s aim. This includes: cutting it for silage or hay in a way that allows it to go to seed leaving it un-grazed after the final cut for silage and hay If you’re already maintaining improved grassland, you can use it 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 CS option GS3 (ryegrass seed-set as winter food for birds)

When to do it

If you’re doing this action on the same area of land for its 3-year duration, you must: start maintaining the improved grassland within 12 months of this action’s start date continue to maintain the area of improved grassland in each subsequent year of this action’s duration If you’re rotating this action around your farm, each year of this action’s duration you must do the actions for a period of time that can reasonably be expected to achieve this action’s aim.

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.

SFI26 actions v2.0, updated 7 July 2026 — verified 1 Aug 2026. Open official guidance