Skip to content

Farm business benefits of herbal leys.

12th September 2025

With climate pressures, rising fertiliser costs, and the drive for sustainable farming, herbal lays (mixes of grasses, legumes, and herbs) are becoming more popular in UK agriculture. They offer practical farm benefits as well as environmental gains, with extra value from Sustainable Farming Incentive (SFI) payments that help boost farm resilience.

Financial Incentive: The SFI SAM3/CSAM3 Scheme

Under SFI’s action code SAM3/CSAM3 Herbal leys, farmers receive £382 per hectare per year for three years. This payment is designed to compensate for the costs of establishment and maintenance while delivering soil health and biodiversity benefits.

Considerations:

  • The scheme excludes areas designated as SSSI or those listed on the HEFER (Historic Environment Farm Environment Record), to avoid damaging sensitive ecological or heritage sites. GFW can advise whether your land is compatible with scheme requirements. 
  • Establishing the herbal ley must occur in the first 12 months of the SFI agreement, with maintenance over the remaining years. Rotation within the farm is permissible. In years two and three, the herbal ley area within SFI can only be reduced by up to 50% from the first year.
  • Evidence for compliance must be maintained, including photographic records, invoices, seed mix documentation, and field logs.

From 2022 to 2024, “Establish and maintain Herbal leys” (SAM3) was the highest paid SFI action, with total payments reaching £132 million in 2024, highlighting its popularity among farmers (Gov, 2024).

Agronomic Benefits

1. Drought Resilience and Climate Buffering

The deep-rooting ability of herbal leys allow access to the subsoil, improving the resilience of the plant particularly during dry periods.  

2. Forage Quality and Livestock Health

  • High nutritive value: Legumes like red clover can offer crude protein levels exceeding 20%, while broadleaf herbs improve micronutrient density.
  • Animal health benefits: Certain herbs (including sainfoin and birdsfoot trefoil) contain condensed tannins that help reduce bloat and parasite burdens; chicory has noted anthelmintic properties.

These quality metrics often translate into reduced feed costs and better growth rates.

Considerations & Implementation Challenges

1. HEFER & SSSI Restrictions

Fields with archaeological or protected features, as catalogued in HEFER, are ineligible for SFI herbal ley payments. Likewise, SSSIs are excluded to prevent ecological disturbance

2. Establishment Costs & Technical Demands

  • Seed cost: multispecies mixes are significantly more expensive than ryegrass-only versions. However, seed providers are able to tailor seed mixes to meet scheme requirements and also meet grazing/forage requirements.
  • Achieving successful establishment demands precision sowing and seedbed preparation. Overseeding into existing pasture may lead to poor sward diversity and dominance by grasses over time, although is a cheaper way of plant establishment.

3. Management Complexity & Sward Persistence

Maintaining species diversity requires:

  • Rotational or mob grazing, with careful rest periods to allow slower-growing herbs to flourish.
  • Ryegrass varieties begin to grow when soil temperature is 4-5 °C, however the varieties in herbal leys grow between a soil temperature of 7-8 °C, meaning that growth in the spring will be later with herbal leys.
  • Is it advisable that herbal leys are grazed lightly, or not at all during the winter, which can cause forage shortages particularly on sheep enterprises.
  • Without careful grazing management, key species may decline within two to three years, resulting in grass-dominated swards. Stripping of plant species can occur with sheep grazing due to their selective pallet.

4. Silage Conservation Challenges

Herbal leys’ high protein and low sugar content can impede fermentation, potentially requiring silage additives or adjusted cutting strategies to maintain feed quality and preservation.

5. Nutrient Requirements

While legumes reduce nitrogen needs, herbal ley systems may have increased demands for phosphorus and sulphur, necessitating adjusted fertility plans.

Conclusion: Strategic Potential with Precision

Herbal leys offer a rare convergence of ecological enhancement and farm business benefits: improved soil health, drought resilience, forage quality, and the distinct advantage of a £382/ha SFI payment. However, achieving these gains hinges on site selection, precision establishment, and correct management.

GFW can advise on the suitability and location of herbal leys, the management practices to maximise the benefits of herbal leys on farm, and scheme compliance to improve farm resilience. For advice, call our Farm Consultancy team today.

Rural – GFW

Share

Latest News

The latest news from GFW.

View All Articles
1 /