SFI - Self Help and Tips

farmerm · Dec 6, 2023

Will Blackburn said:
I doubt it.
My interpretation, more than one agreement possible.
Alterations allowed at intervals of 12 months.
I assumed that options can be decreased, given there presumably will be a declaration of conformity to the options at points in time.

That would make a hideous monster. It specifically says you can increase, decrease option in year 2 and 3 and can add new options to THE agreement. At no point I can find does the guidance have any mention of multiple agreements

Will Blackburn · Dec 6, 2023

farmerm said:
That would make a hideous monster. It specifically says you can increase, decrease option in year 2 and 3 and can add new options to THE agreement. At no point I can find does the guidance have any mention of multiple agreements

Only going on the basis that i can open another application with one agreed. Plus the assumption that dual use land may facilitate it.

Badshot · Dec 6, 2023

farmerm said:
That would make a hideous monster. It specifically says you can increase, decrease option in year 2 and 3 and can add new options to THE agreement. At no point I can find does the guidance have any mention of multiple agreements

There was mention of having more than one agreement somewhere in the guidance, but it did state there would only be one lot of plans and management fee payable, it couldn't be multiplied up
Iirc it was in the front part of the guidance

Hindsight · Dec 6, 2023

farmerm said:
Insane this isn't answered clearly. My interpretation of the guide: it is a 3 year agreement, there will only ever be a a single agreement on a holding. Options can be added or increased to that 3 year agreement within that 3 year period but remain contained within that 3 year agreement. But will the RPA confirm that

I have a problem on an SFI application where we have accepted a CS Mid Tier offer to start, but now regret this as prevent entering land in Herbal Ley. SO I asked RPA what to do. And the following is copied form the email reply. This seems to answer your query.

As this may take some time, you might consider putting your application in for SFI 23 now and when you have confirmation the parcels have been removed from the CS agreement put in a second application with those parcels with the actions you want on them.

With SFI 23 you can do multiple applications, but, you only get the management fee on the first application submitted. You can, however, merge the second application at the 12 month stage so that you then get the management fee on those parcels.

More information
You can read about the Sustainable Farming Incentive on GOV.UK.

If you have any questions about this email
You can email [email protected] or call us on 03000 200 301 (Monday to Friday, 8.30am to 5pm). Please tell us your client’s SBI, which is at the top of this email.

Yours sincerely

Susanne Hine
Sustainable Farming Incentive Operations

Mixedupfarmer · Dec 7, 2023

Hindsight said:
I have a problem on an SFI application where we have accepted a CS Mid Tier offer to start, but now regret this as prevent entering land in Herbal Ley. SO I asked RPA what to do. And the following is copied form the email reply. This seems to answer your query.

As this may take some time, you might consider putting your application in for SFI 23 now and when you have confirmation the parcels have been removed from the CS agreement put in a second application with those parcels with the actions you want on them.

With SFI 23 you can do multiple applications, but, you only get the management fee on the first application submitted. You can, however, merge the second application at the 12 month stage so that you then get the management fee on those parcels.

More information
You can read about the Sustainable Farming Incentive on GOV.UK.

If you have any questions about this email
You can email [email protected] or call us on 03000 200 301 (Monday to Friday, 8.30am to 5pm). Please tell us your client’s SBI, which is at the top of this email.

Yours sincerely

Susanne Hine
Sustainable Farming Incentive Operations

What could possibly go wrong

Two Tone · Dec 7, 2023

Hindsight said:
I have a problem on an SFI application where we have accepted a CS Mid Tier offer to start, but now regret this as prevent entering land in Herbal Ley. SO I asked RPA what to do. And the following is copied form the email reply. This seems to answer your query.

As this may take some time, you might consider putting your application in for SFI 23 now and when you have confirmation the parcels have been removed from the CS agreement put in a second application with those parcels with the actions you want on them.

With SFI 23 you can do multiple applications, but, you only get the management fee on the first application submitted. You can, however, merge the second application at the 12 month stage so that you then get the management fee on those parcels.

More information
You can read about the Sustainable Farming Incentive on GOV.UK.

If you have any questions about this email
You can email [email protected] or call us on 03000 200 301 (Monday to Friday, 8.30am to 5pm). Please tell us your client’s SBI, which is at the top of this email.

Yours sincerely

Susanne Hine
Sustainable Farming Incentive Operations

IMO, the best thing to do when it wont accept a few fields, for instance because they will require an RLE1, is to forget them in this initial SFI application, fill in the rest, get it accepted, then do an RLE1 and add those last fields later on.

Chris F · Dec 8, 2023

We have added a "SFI" specific section now, so I have moved this thread and left a permanent redirect from the old section. So much SFI conversations right now meant it was better to have them all in one place.

We have made this thread a sticky at the top.

Danieljack1991 · Dec 8, 2023

Yesterday I learned that you can claim a free advice meeting from someone within Defra to discuss SFi etc. If this correct how do you go about sorting one out?

Hindsight · Dec 8, 2023

Danieljack1991 said:
Yesterday I learned that you can claim a free advice meeting from someone within Defra to discuss SFi etc. If this correct how do you go about sorting one out?

Farming Resilience Fund: free business advice for your farm

Basic Payment Scheme recipients can get free advice from organisations during the changes in farming, supported by the Farming Resilience Fund.

www.gov.uk

Barleycorn · Dec 18, 2023

I'm really struggling with SFI. Got the email saying get it in before 2024, so emailed the RPA and got the reply 'we try to answer emails within 30 working days'!!
Got a few simple questions, perhaps someone could answer?
Firstly when have you got to get options in? Is it the day that the scheme starts, like BPS, or have they got to be in for the whole year?
Any idea why it won't let me claim NUM1 or IGL3 on our land, it says it clashes with a CS scheme, but we have none except for organic payments?
I have 4 fields that won't allow me to apply for anything, saying 'Some of the land use on the parcel are not compatible with the land cover on the parcel', I have tried changing the land use but to no avail.
Hope someone can help, had my daughter in whose at college on an ag course and she says even the lecturers can't fathom some of it.

Badshot · Dec 18, 2023

Barleycorn said:
I'm really struggling with SFI. Got the email saying get it in before 2024, so emailed the RPA and got the reply 'we try to answer emails within 30 working days'!!
Got a few simple questions, perhaps someone could answer?
Firstly when have you got to get options in? Is it the day that the scheme starts, like BPS, or have they got to be in for the whole year?
Any idea why it won't let me claim NUM1 or IGL3 on our land, it says it clashes with a CS scheme, but we have none except for organic payments?
I have 4 fields that won't allow me to apply for anything, saying 'Some of the land use on the parcel are not compatible with the land cover on the parcel', I have tried changing the land use but to no avail.
Hope someone can help, had my daughter in whose at college on an ag course and she says even the lecturers can't fathom some of it.

Number 1.

You have 12 months to set the options in place if it's too late this year.

Number 2

No idea I don't do CS

Number 3

There's been quite a lot of discussion of this on here, so some time reading will pay dividends.

Sorry, in a rush now so can't do more.

Hindsight · Dec 18, 2023

Barleycorn said:
I'm really struggling with SFI. Got the email saying get it in before 2024, so emailed the RPA and got the reply 'we try to answer emails within 30 working days'!!
Got a few simple questions, perhaps someone could answer?
Firstly when have you got to get options in? Is it the day that the scheme starts, like BPS, or have they got to be in for the whole year?
Any idea why it won't let me claim NUM1 or IGL3 on our land, it says it clashes with a CS scheme, but we have none except for organic payments?
I have 4 fields that won't allow me to apply for anything, saying 'Some of the land use on the parcel are not compatible with the land cover on the parcel', I have tried changing the land use but to no avail.
Hope someone can help, had my daughter in whose at college on an ag course and she says even the lecturers can't fathom some of it.

I will try.

1 Doesn't have to be submitted before December 31st. Just that any data you may have entered onto the SFI portal will be lost if you do not submit before end of December - just have to enter it again after Jan 1st, so no big deal.

2 No idea about NUM1 and IGL3

3 that land use error is a real pain as the 'fixes' in guidance notes don't always work - and I have had to get onto RPA helpline who gave me new land parcel data which I entered. Am waiting for a call back. And have been waiting more than 2 days - as usual I find the call back service erratic, to say the least.

Hey ho.

Will Blackburn · Dec 18, 2023

Barleycorn said:
I'm really struggling with SFI. Got the email saying get it in before 2024, so emailed the RPA and got the reply 'we try to answer emails within 30 working days'!!
Got a few simple questions, perhaps someone could answer?
Firstly when have you got to get options in? Is it the day that the scheme starts, like BPS, or have they got to be in for the whole year?
Any idea why it won't let me claim NUM1 or IGL3 on our land, it says it clashes with a CS scheme, but we have none except for organic payments?
I have 4 fields that won't allow me to apply for anything, saying 'Some of the land use on the parcel are not compatible with the land cover on the parcel', I have tried changing the land use but to no avail.
Hope someone can help, had my daughter in whose at college on an ag course and she says even the lecturers can't fathom some of it.

I put land cover to PP on some fields to make them work despite 4 years of cropping since PP.

2 fields could not be fixed as they had ponds go once drains were sorted.

2 fields that had sheds and trackways installed were unfixable.

Get what you can don't sweat the small stuff.

ffukedfarmer · Dec 18, 2023

I'm having the same issue. I've tried submitting RLE1s and the first attempt got told that I couldn't go straight from arable to PG01 so redid them as TG01 and got an email yesterday saying that temporary grass is now classified as arable. Their system does seem to accept arable as the land cover and temporary grass as the land use!

Frank-the-Wool · Dec 18, 2023

ffukedfarmer said:
I'm having the same issue. I've tried submitting RLE1s and the first attempt got told that I couldn't go straight from arable to PG01 so redid them as TG01 and got an email yesterday saying that temporary grass is now classified as arable. Their system does seem to accept arable as the land cover and temporary grass as the land use!

Perhaps when they start the new system next year it will work better???

I don't think I will be holding my breath though.
I do wonder how many people have actually managed to sign up their whole farm?

4course · Dec 18, 2023

Frank-the-Wool said:
Perhaps when they start the new system next year it will work better???

I don't think I will be holding my breath though.
I do wonder how many people have actually managed to sign up their whole farm?

under 2000as of 1st dec im led to believe been posted on here somewhere

Frank-the-Wool · Dec 18, 2023

4course said:
under 2000as of 1st dec im led to believe been posted on here somewhere

Yes but how many of the 2,000 have put their whole farm in.
I only know one person who has applied and he didn't put all of the farm in as the mapping was wrong or it wouldn't accept the options he wanted, so he went with a smaller part.

I intend to have a try in the New Year but as a lot is in CS i guess it will only be around 30% of the land. So probably won't bother.

Badshot · Dec 18, 2023

Frank-the-Wool said:
Yes but how many of the 2,000 have put their whole farm in.
I only know one person who has applied and he didn't put all of the farm in as the mapping was wrong or it wouldn't accept the options he wanted, so he went with a smaller part.

I intend to have a try in the New Year but as a lot is in CS i guess it will only be around 30% of the land. So probably won't bother.

I have.

Will see if it's the right thing or not in due course

4course · Dec 18, 2023

Frank-the-Wool said:
Yes but how many of the 2,000 have put their whole farm in.
I only know one person who has applied and he didn't put all of the farm in as the mapping was wrong or it wouldn't accept the options he wanted, so he went with a smaller part.

I intend to have a try in the New Year but as a lot is in CS i guess it will only be around 30% of the land. So probably won't bother.

ah now that we dont know, some will just have done the bare minimum and bits of hedges .Though from folk ive talked to that have proceeded and they are only a handful have probably entered less than half and the favorite option seems to be non insecticde on cereals

Brett R · Dec 19, 2023

From the SFI 2023 handbook: "To be eligible to apply for an SFI agreement you need to have been a Basic Payment Scheme (BPS) eligible farmer on either 16 May 2022 or 15 May 2023."

So what if you (as a non-farmer) purchased a plot of grazing land on 16 May 2023 to save it from the developers, and you intend to let the current farmer continue graze their cattle on it (under licence) for years to come, and wish to apply for SFI to help pay say farmer (or reduce the licence payment) to help to maintain the land and boundaries in good order? The previous owner has been claiming BPS for this land up to and including 2023, and with delinked payments I understand will continue to do so for the next several years despite no longer owning the land.

Seems slightly unfair... or am I misunderstanding something?

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