Hedgerows standard of the Sustainable Farming Incentive pilot
Find out about the Sustainable Farming Incentive pilot standard for hedgerows, who’s eligible and how much you can get paid.
This standard is for farmers piloting the Sustainable Farming Incentive scheme.
How the standard works
There are 3 levels to the hedgerows standard. Each level has actions you must complete to get paid.
The levels build on one another - each one includes the actions from the previous levels.
If you’re already doing some of these actions on your hedgerows, they’ll count towards payment.
How much you’ll be paid
The levels and payments for the hedgerows standard are set out in the table.
These payment rates are annual.
| Level | Payment per 100 metres |
|---|---|
| Introductory | £16 |
| Intermediate | £21 |
| Advanced | £24 |
You can also apply for funding for capital items.
Hedgerow cutting limits
The hedgerows standard sets a limit to the amount of cutting you’re allowed to do at each level. You can cut hedges less than the limit specified or not cut them at all.
Exemptions to the cutting limits apply to hedgerows that are:
- cut for safety reasons or to maintain rights of way access
- newly planted, until fully established
- in agreements less than 50ha in size - in this case you do not have to cut every year, but should cut every 2 or 3 years to the delivery level selected
Eligible hedgerows
Hedgerows must be:
- a boundary line of shrubs (a woody plant where the distance between the ground and the base of the leafy layer is less than 2m)
- over 20 metres long, and less than 5 metres wide between major stems at the base
- composed of at least 80% native shrubs
Enter half of the total length of the hedge in the agreement if you only have control over one side of it, for example a roadside hedge or a hedge bordering a neighbour’s land. However, you can enter the whole length if you have a legal right or obligation to maintain the hedge and can fulfil the actions under the standard.
Hedgerows can be:
- newly planted
- grown on top of earth or stone banks
Sites of special scientific interest (SSSIs)
If your application includes SSSI land, you will need consent from Natural England.
Make your request for consent when you get your agreement offer. Send a copy of the offer along with a notice form to:
ProtectedSites@naturalengland.org.uk
Your agreement cannot start without SSSI consent.
For more information read the guidance Sites of special scientific interest: managing your land
Introductory level: actions
There are 2 actions at this level.
1. Leave at least 50% of the hedgerow uncut
Every year on rotation leave at least half of the total hedgerow length uncut to increase the amount of pollen, nectar and berries for birds and insects.
Information on leaving hedgerows uncut
How you carry out this action is up to you, but you can read this information on how you can plant and manage hedgerows.
2. Maintain hedgerow trees, or plant or tag new ones
This action will provide habitat for wildlife.
There must be an average of one hedgerow tree per 400 metres across all the hedgerows. The trees do not have to be evenly distributed across the hedgerows. Maintain existing trees and if necessary plant new ones to achieve this.
When counting how many trees are in a given length, you can include dead and dying trees (this does not include newly planted trees that die before they become established). Dead trees reduce soil erosion and provide shelter for wildlife.
Some hedgerows may have no trees, especially around fields used by ground nesting birds.
Information on planting and maintaining hedgerow trees
How you carry out this action is up to you, but you can read this information on how you can:
- establish trees along field boundaries
- maintain trees along field boundaries
- maintain dead wood to benefit wildlife
Intermediate and advanced levels: actions
Actions 1 and 2 apply to both intermediate and advanced levels. Actions 3 and 4 are slightly different depending on which level you are completing.
1. Leave more hedgerows uncut or raise the cutting height
This action will increase the amount of pollen, nectar and berries in your hedges.
For this action you can choose either one of the following:
- leave at least two thirds of the total hedgerow length uncut every year, cutting a maximum of one third each year in rotation
or
- leave at least half the total hedgerow uncut each year, but raise the cutting height by 10cm or more every time you cut leaving some wood for flowers and fruit to form
Information on leaving hedgerows uncut
How you carry out this action is up to you, but you can read this information on how you can plant and manage hedgerows
2. Leave the tops to grow uncut on short hedgerows
Leave the tops uncut on hedgerows less than 2m high.
3. Maintain more hedgerow trees, or plant or tag new ones
This action will provide habitat for wildlife.
(Intermediate level only)There must be an average of one hedgerow tree every 200m across all the hedgerows.
(Advanced level only) There must be an average of one hedgerow tree every 100m across all the hedgerows.
(Both levels) Maintain existing trees and if necessary plant new ones to achieve the number needed for your level.
Trees do not have to be evenly distributed across the hedgerows. Include dead and dying trees in your tree count.
Information on planting and maintaining hedgerow trees
How you carry out this action is up to you, but you can read this information on how you can:
4. Create buffer strips on both sides of the hedgerow
This action will protect your hedgerow from agrochemicals, fertilisers and physical disturbance.
Create and maintain a tussocky grass buffer strip on both sides of:
- (intermediate level only) at least 50% of the hedgerows
- (advanced level only) at least 75% of the hedgerows
At both levels, the buffers must measure 4m on each side from the centre of the hedge.
If there’s a watercourse buffer it must be in addition to the hedgerow buffer.
Hedgerow buffer strips in grassland do not need to be fenced off. You can graze them with the rest of the field but you must not cut them.
Information on creating buffer strips
How you carry out this action is up to you, but you can read this information on how you can create and maintain grass strips.
Further advice and information
For further advice on doing the actions in this standard read the Sustainable Farming Incentive pilot: summary of advice.
Read more about how this standard will meet the environmental outcomes and benefits of the Sustainable Farming Incentive pilot.
Funding for capital items
You’ll be able to apply for funding for the following capital items:
- supply and plant tree
- supplement for use of individual tree-shelters
- planting new hedges
- hedgerow gapping-up
- fencing
- sheep netting
- hedgerow laying
- hedgerow coppicing
- hedgerow supplement - top binding and staking
- small wildlife box
- medium wildlife box
- large wildlife box
You’ll apply for these through the Countryside Stewardship Capital Grants scheme
More information will be published later in the summer.
Evidence you should keep
Information about evidence you should keep will be published soon.
Monitoring and support
The Sustainable Farming Incentive pilot will use a new model for monitoring agreements. It will focus on outcomes and improvement instead of penalties.
Once your agreement has started, we’ll use various techniques to see whether you’re achieving the aims of the standards.
Read more about how the pilot will monitor agreements and the aims of the standard.
Additional standards you can apply to this land
Land parcels you use for this standard can also be used for:
- arable and horticultural land standard
- arable and horticultural soils standard
- farm woodland standard
- improved grassland standard
- improved grassland soils standard
- low and no input grassland standard
- water body buffering standard
If you apply more than one standard to the same land, the actions for each must be delivered separately.
Buffer zone actions in the hedgerows standard must take precedence over and be delivered separately from similar actions in other standards.
Further information
See all the Sustainable Farming Incentive pilot guidance.
Last updated 6 August 2021 + show all updates
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Clarified page title and introduction to make it clear that this standard relates to the pilot scheme, not the full scheme launching in 2022. Amended wording of links to supporting technical guidance to make it clearer that this is optional information, that can help meet the standard, but is not mandatory.
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Added a link to the collection of SFI guidance.
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This updates the information about hedges where an applicant only has control over one of its sides, giving examples and explaining exceptions.
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This update clarifies the definition of eligible hedgerows
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First published.