Permanent Pasture

[delilah]

https://defrafarming.blog.gov.uk/20...ment-in-2024-details-of-actions-and-payments/

This has just landed, on a quick skim it looks like they have listened.

 

[delilah]

The new actions improve the offer for all farm types, but especially those on moorland and grassland.

We listened to feedback and introduced more ‘maintenance’ actions, alongside improving existing actions. These actions pay farmers who are already protecting the environment. For example, through maintaining grasslands, wetlands and scrub.

We made these changes so that farmers will get paid more for existing actions to maintain habitats, with the price of maintaining species rich grassland rising from £182 to £646 per hectare. This better reflects the reality of delivering these habitats and creates an incentive for farmers to create more.

 

[delilah]

Seems to be an overlap on these....Anyone grazing moorland able to make sense of it ?

Low grazing on moorland	New	3 years	£20-£66 per ha dependent on stocking density	Moorland is grazed with a low livestock density to support and enhance moorland habitat alongside farming
Supplement: Keep cattle and ponies on moorland	New	3 years	£7-£23 per ha dependent on stocking	When you graze moorland with a low livestock density, you do so with a proportion of cattle or ponies or horses
Manage livestock grazing on moorland	New	3 years	£33-50 per ha depending on stocking dates	Livestock grazing on moorland is managed to avoid impacting habitats which are sensitive to damage from grazing, wherever possible

 

[Poorbuthappy]

I can't see there's much there to benefit normal permanent pasture?

 

[Muddyroads]

Is there a definition of moorland somewhere?

 

[som farmer]

the trouble with a lot of SFI, the payments are not enough for the hassle of doing it.
the example above, you need a lot of hectares to get a sensible amount of money back.

we got a bit excited over a water board grant, £2,000 ha, when we sat down and worked it out, with the 'rules' about what qualifies, we were at about 500 square meters, and some of that was on our best ground.

like the hedge schemes, cut every 2 years, what you gain, is nearly lost, in the cutting of 2 years growth.

 

[jondear]

Is there a definition of moorland somewhere?

Tiny leaning trees and heather and wetter than an otters pocket .

 

[An Gof]

Seems to be an overlap on these....Anyone grazing moorland able to make sense of it ?

Low grazing on moorland	New	3 years	£20-£66 per ha dependent on stocking density	Moorland is grazed with a low livestock density to support and enhance moorland habitat alongside farming
Supplement: Keep cattle and ponies on moorland	New	3 years	£7-£23 per ha dependent on stocking	When you graze moorland with a low livestock density, you do so with a proportion of cattle or ponies or horses
Manage livestock grazing on moorland	New	3 years	£33-50 per ha depending on stocking dates	Livestock grazing on moorland is managed to avoid impacting habitats which are sensitive to damage from grazing, wherever possible

Is that just to placate the Dartmoor boys as they savage their stock carrying limits? @egbert might have a view

 

[serf]

I can't see there's much there to benefit normal permanent pasture?

About £81 an acre isn't it for low input PP , only had quick glimpse but could be wrong !
Non SDA

 

[egbert]

Is that just to placate the Dartmoor boys as they savage their stock carrying limits? @egbert might have a view

The devil will be in the detail.
Anyway, if it's SSSI ground, NE would hitherto have to have the say so...and that's not going to be a recipe for an outbreak of peace.

 

[egbert]

Is there a definition of moorland somewhere?

there is a map

 

[Hill Ground]

About £81 an acre isn't it for low input PP , only had quick glimpse but could be wrong !
Non SDA

£151 / ha I believe, unchanged from before Xmas.

 

[serf]

£151 / ha I believe, unchanged from before Xmas.

Yes , I seem to have seen some additional top up payment to that for administration purposes I think that made the 151 up a bit more , but that payment may have been capped at £1000 per SBI can't remember !

but can't just find it again now cos it's all to complicated trying to relocate what and where it was

 

[Hindsight]

Yes , I seem to have seen some additional top up payment to that for administration purposes I think that made the 151 up a bit more , but that payment may have been capped at £1000 per SBI can't remember !

but can't just find it again now cos it's all to complicated trying to relocate what and where it was

You can also get the IPM plan and NUM plan and Soil Plan per SBI - so £1800. And £6 hectare for soil organic matter testing. Then you may be able to or want to 'convert' some pasture to SAM 3 herbal ley at £382 (no nitrogen restrictions - which is helpful (!!) and is significant differnce to GS4 in Stewardship- depends on your circumstances (!) and or a bit of IGL2 Ryegrass overwinter bird seed - if it fits into your system. And thats before I have thought of these new options coming on board for the autumn. And you still get the residue of BPS which for 2024 is still quite reasonable.

 

[som farmer]

as l see it, whichever party wins the next election, if they don't know now, they damn soon will, the countries bust.

they have borrowed up to the eyeballs, especially over covid, correctly so there, and it has to be paid back.

it would seem the general public don't realise that, they must think like the politicians do, there's a money tree that gives out free cash.

pretty soon, huge amounts of money will be needed, to replenish all the munitions given to Ukraine, and they needed them, what guv should have done, is use the time between then and now, to re-arm, as some european countries are doing.

the only way money can be had, without borrowing, is a little three lettered word, with huge negative implications, tax.

and neither party are going to admit that, before the next election. Even they are not that stupid.

so, skint country, facing dangerous times, to little food security, reliant on 'luck' to keep food inflation down, do people honestly think all these generous environmental payments, will still be paid, when the shite hits the fan ? Do you think green policies are more important than feeding people, and protecting the country ?

at least sunak has the balls to allow exploration for new oil/gas fields. And the vocal zealotic greenies, will be among the first to complain energy's to dear, foods to dear, and they can't jet off, for holiday's in the sun.

and to be honest, probably 75% of voters don't give a feck about the environment, when push comes to shove.

rant over.

 

[delilah]

I can't see there's much there to benefit normal permanent pasture?

You may be right, sorry, I shared it on a first skim, where it says in the opening spiel:
The new actions improve the offer for all farm types, but especially those on moorland and grassland.

Hopefully it has moved in the right direction, as with all of this it will come down to individual farm circumstances.

 

[delilah]

More detail released today on the upland and grassland offers:

https://defrafarming.blog.gov.uk/2024/01/11/actions-for-upland-farmers-in-2024/

 

[delilah]

This out today, not sure if there's anything new but sharing in case:

https://defrafarming.blog.gov.uk/20...d-additions-to-livestock-and-grassland-offer/

 

[Hilly]

as l see it, whichever party wins the next election, if they don't know now, they damn soon will, the countries bust.

they have borrowed up to the eyeballs, especially over covid, correctly so there, and it has to be paid back.

it would seem the general public don't realise that, they must think like the politicians do, there's a money tree that gives out free cash.

pretty soon, huge amounts of money will be needed, to replenish all the munitions given to Ukraine, and they needed them, what guv should have done, is use the time between then and now, to re-arm, as some european countries are doing.

the only way money can be had, without borrowing, is a little three lettered word, with huge negative implications, tax.

and neither party are going to admit that, before the next election. Even they are not that stupid.

so, skint country, facing dangerous times, to little food security, reliant on 'luck' to keep food inflation down, do people honestly think all these generous environmental payments, will still be paid, when the shite hits the fan ? Do you think green policies are more important than feeding people, and protecting the country ?

at least sunak has the balls to allow exploration for new oil/gas fields. And the vocal zealotic greenies, will be among the first to complain energy's to dear, foods to dear, and they can't jet off, for holiday's in the sun.

and to be honest, probably 75% of voters don't give a feck about the environment, when push comes to shove.

rant over.

Bang on !

 

[som farmer]

This out today, not sure if there's anything new but sharing in case:

https://defrafarming.blog.gov.uk/20...d-additions-to-livestock-and-grassland-offer/

son reckons he has found one of the higher paying schemes, that we can apply to our Scheduled monument field, 8 acres, the only other one, is low input grassland, lets hope he's right. Can't do much with it, and other than SFP, no money to maintain it.

there's a lot of very attractive payment rates in the SFI, and we are searching through, for best paying, that will fit our farm, and why not ? Fwag booked in.

l give it 3 yrs, before things radically alter, food inflation, and probably food security, will convince a broke guv, to a massive rethink, and possible reversal.