SFI Seed Mixtures for AHL2:
Winter Bird Food on Arable and Horticultural Land

This action’s aim is that there are areas of winter bird food that produce a supply of small seeds for smaller farmland birds from late autumn until late winter.

The purpose of this is to provide food resources for farmland birds, especially in late autumn and winter. Encourage flowering plants in the summer, which will benefit insects including bumblebees, solitary bees, butterflies, and hoverflies. And to support an IPM approach if located close to cropped areas.

You can do this action on eligible agricultural land located below the moorland line.

You can apply for this action on either the total SFI available area in each land parcel shown in your SFI application, or part of that area.

This action is rotational. You can do this action on the same area of eligible land for the duration of your 3-year SFI agreement, or you can move the area each year.

You must establish and maintain blocks or strips of winter bird food on land entered into this action.

To establish the winter bird food blocks or strips, you must sow a mix of at least 6 crops that will provide an extended supply of small seeds for farmland birds.

If you sow an annual mix, it can include a range of cereals, brassicas or other small-seeded crops. If you sow a 2-year mix, it can also include biennial crops such as kale, stubble turnip, or teasel.

Once established, you must maintain the winter bird food blocks or strips. To do this, you must manage them in a way that could reasonably be expected to achieve this action’s aim. You may need to re-sow the blocks or strips, as necessary, so they continue to produce an extended supply of small seeds.

You can maintain existing winter bird food blocks or strips to meet this action if they meet the requirements explained above. And are not already being paid for under another environmental land management scheme option, such as CS option AB9 (wild bird food).

It’s up to you how you complete this action, as long as you do it in a way that can reasonably be expected to achieve this action’s aim.

You may find it helpful to read the voluntary guidance on how establish and maintain winter bird food on arable and horticultural land, but you do not have to follow it.

You should keep evidence to show what you’ve done to complete this action. This will help if it’s not clear that you’ve completed the action in a way that could reasonably be expected to achieve this action’s aim.

This evidence could include photographs and other documentation to show what you’ve done to complete this action. It could also include field operations at a land parcel level and associated invoices. If you choose to take photographs, read the guidance on how to take photographic evidence for SFI actions.