AHW6 · SFI 2026 · Farmland wildlife (arable / horticultural)
Basic overwinter stubble
£58 per hectare, per year
Runs for 3 years.
Rotational or static — your choice whether it moves or stays in the same place.
Where it applies
Arable
Eligibility conditions
- Below the moorland line
- Only land that grew cereals (not maize or sorghum), oilseed rape or linseed
- Land you identify as NOT at risk of soil erosion or surface runoff — keep evidence
What you'll do
After harvesting cereals (not maize or sorghum), oilseed rape or linseed, leave the stubble standing over winter until about mid-February — food and cover for farmland birds. Don't use a pre-harvest desiccant, and don't top, graze, spray, fertilise, manure or lime the stubble.
Evidence to keep
- Written evidence the land isn't at risk of soil erosion or runoff (an existing soil plan is fine)
- A record of harvest and when the stubble was retained
- Field operation records, with invoices
When
- Sep–Feb: Leave the stubble standing over winter (harvest to ~mid-Feb)
Combining with other actions
Actions that can be paid on the same area:
- SFI 2026: AGF1, AGF2, AHW5, AHW10, AHW11, CIPM4, OFC3, OFM4, PRF1, PRF2, PRF4, SOH1, SOH3
- SFI 2024: AGF1, AGF2, AHW5, AHW10, AHW11, CIPM1, CIPM4, CNUM1, CSAM1, OFC3, OFM4, PRF1, PRF2, PRF4, SOH1, SOH2, SOH3
- SFI 2023: IPM1, IPM4, NUM1, SAM1
- CS Higher Tier: CAB5, CAB11, CAB14, CAGF1, CAGF2, CAGF3, CAGF4, CSP13, CSP14, CSP15, CSP20, CSP21, CSP9, CSW17, CSW19, CWS1, CWS3
- Countryside Stewardship: AB5, AB7, AB9, AB10, AB11, AB14, AB15, HS3, OR3, OT3, SW5
Checked against GOV.UK Find Funding for Land or Farms on 10 July 2026. Read the official AHW6 guidance on GOV.UK.
All actions