CAHL1: Pollen and nectar flower mix (2024)

This is an action in the Sustainable Farming Incentive (SFI) scheme: expanded offer for 2024. You must read the SFI scheme information to understand the scheme rules and how to apply.

Duration

3 years

How much you’ll be paid

£739 per hectare (ha) per year

Action’s aim

This action’s aim is that there’s an established pollen and nectar flower mix which:

• is growing in blocks or strips
• produces areas of flowering plants from late spring and during the summer months

The purpose of this is to:

• provide food for beneficial pollinators, such as bumble bees, solitary bees, butterflies and hoverflies
• encourage natural crop pest predators as part of an integrated pest management approach if located close to cropped areas

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 (read section 5.1 ‘Eligible land types for SFI’)
• registered with an eligible land cover on your digital maps
• declared with a land use code which is compatible with the eligible land cover

This is a ‘limited area’ action. The total eligible area you enter into any combination of one of more of the ‘limited area’ actions must not be more than 25% of the total agricultural area of your farm. Read section 1.3 ‘SFI actions with a limited area’ for more information.

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

If you’re establishing a new pollen and nectar flower mix block or strip, this action is static. This means you must do it at the same location each year of this action’s duration.

If you’re maintaining an existing pollen and nectar flower mix block or strip, this action is rotational or static. This means you can either:

• move its location for the second year of this action’s duration (and third year depending on the timing of this action’s start date) and re-sow the mix
• do it at the same location each year of this action’s duration

What to do

You must establish a nectar flower mix as a block or strip on land entered into this action.

You must use a grass-free seed mix which includes at least 6 flower species, with no individual species being more than 50% of the total mix by weight.

The seed mix must include at least 2 of the following flower species:

• common knapweed
• musk mallow
• oxeye daisy
• wild carrot
• yarrow

Once the pollen and nectar flower mix block or strip is established (usually from the second spring after sowing), you must maintain it. To do this, you must manage it in a way that can reasonably be expected to achieve this action’s aim.

You must not do the following on the established pollen and nectar flower mix block or strip:

• cut or graze it with livestock in a way that means this action’s aim cannot reasonably be expected to be achieved
• use it for regular vehicular access, turning or storage
• apply any fertilisers and manures
• apply pesticides, except for herbicides to weed wipe or spot treat to control injurious weeds, invasive non-native species, nettles or bracken

You can maintain an existing pollen and nectar flower mix block or strip 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 Countryside Stewardship (CS) option AB1 (nectar flower mix)

When to do it

If you’re establishing a new pollen and nectar flower mix block or strip to meet this action, you must:

• sow the mix between early spring and early autumn, within 12 months of this action’s start date
• maintain the mix at the same location for a period of time that can reasonably be expected to achieve this action’s aim – this will usually be until the end of the second summer after sowing

If you’re maintaining an existing pollen and nectar flower mix block or strip to meet this action, you must:

• maintain it for a period of time that can reasonably be expected to achieve this action’s aim – this will usually be until the end of the second summer after sowing
• after this period of time, re-sow the mix between early spring and early autumn – either at the same location or a different location and maintain it until this action’s end date

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

Advice to help you do this action will be published before applications are fully launched from summer 2024. It will not be 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, including details of the seed mix used
• 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 on the same area as 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’ for more information.

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 WBD1
• SFI 2023 actions: HRW1, HRW2, HRW3
• CS option BE3 (management of hedgerows)
• the introductory level of the SFI pilot hedgerows standard