Sustainable Farming Incentive - Pilot Information (including PAYMENT RATES)

You know what this is a load of rubbish.

IF there is a need to increase certain groups of animals, birds or insects then they should be paying for outcomes.

This generic BS about buffer strips is a complete waste of time and doesn't provide habitats worth anything. What it DOES do is limit UK agricultural output and increase imports.
 
If it's not worth the effort on a farm then dont take it, if you like supporting wildlife and you get a few pennies for it then go for it. My only issue with it is I know my farm best and what works best and I dont want to be constricted by a pen pusher that knows fudge all


The farmers who support wildlife are already doing so and have the assets there probably for decades.

Meanwhile the EA won't pay for that ...
 

robs1

Member
The farmers who support wildlife are already doing so and have the assets there probably for decades.

Meanwhile the EA won't pay for that ...
Well in that case we will plough everything and then start again to get the payments, this is sounding like the anti brexit brigade again, dont like it dont want it, going to stamp my feet it's not fair blah blah .
Something's in life cant be stopped but can be worked around or lived with,
 

teslacoils

Member
Arable Farmer
Location
Lincolnshire
Only a grade a certified nutcase would sign up to have a graduate with a clipboard come and penalise them for the grass being too short.

Retirement scheme will be pitched just too low for anyone to be bothered, just so long as the govt gets to say the "consulted" or tried their best.
 
Well in that case we will plough everything and then start again to get the payments, this is sounding like the anti brexit brigade again, dont like it dont want it, going to stamp my feet it's not fair blah blah .
Something's in life cant be stopped but can be worked around or lived with,


Maybe. But what is the point of what they are doing ?

Had an EA employee onsite recently. They got to talking about toads and how some people are picking up toads and taking them back to ponds to "reconnect" them to water (Here's me thinking toads like damp places not water - BTW we have thousands of toads in breeding season.)

Anyway .. lets say the whole country gets thousands of toads all over the place and thousands of herons eating them .. WTF is the point ?

Are they just going to be smashed to bits by passing traffic .. kids going to use em for target practice .. are we going to eat the toads and herons ?
 

Mixedupfarmer

Member
Location
Norfolk
I'm sure everyone has seen this but the document makes it clear the payment rates are for the pilot scheme only and offer no bearing on what the rates will be when the real scheme rolls out.
Still we must inevitably draw what conclusions we can given the total absence of this critical information so far.
Can’t see them getting any one to join the pilot at the rates offered.
 

delilah

Member
The piloting and implementation of the three future schemes will be funded by gradual reductions in BPS payments from 2021 to 2027. These subsidies, a legacy of the EU Common Agricultural Policy, are paid largely according to how much land a farmer has, rather than how much public benefit they are producing. The government is committed to redirecting this funding to increase sustainability in the farming sector.

It will exacerbate the bias towards large landowners hoovering up the money more than BPS ever did, due to the complexity of their proposals requiring a land agent or similar.
 

GeorgeK

Member
Location
Leicestershire
Honestly the arable options look better than I anticipated... I mean not great but I was expecting naff all tbh.
It says more than one standard can be applied to the same area of land. For example, the arable land standard, arable soils standard and hedgerow standard can all be applied to the same field, so:
Advanced arable land @ £74/ha looks fairly simple? Some rough grass/scrub strips, calibrate equipment, soil mapping, blah blah, few hoops but nothing truly awful.
Add on advanced arable soils @ £59/ha. Reduce tillage, use organic manure, cultivate across slopes, soil management plan, more blah. A lot of us do most of this already, doesn't look too onerous.
Add on introductory level hedges @ £16/100m. Don't cut all the hedges each year.
Add on intermediate level water buffers @ £29/100m. Decent grass buffer strips like many of us already have.
Obviously the devil's in the detail and we don't have anywhere near enough, but fag packet calculations suggest £55/ac could be had for arable land with a few ditches and hedges without too much hassle or cost. It could be workable/worthwhile but it's too soon to tell.
And goes without saying it's nowhere near as good as BPS.
 
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delilah

Member
Add on advanced arable soils @ £59/ha. Reduce tillage,

So to get a half decent arable payment you can't plough ?

Payments are all going to be retrospective after an assessor has determined if you tried hard enough or willfully breached your agreement ? Because a chunk of the arable options you simply can't commit to in advance, weather, availability of OM etc etc will determine whether rules can be met.
 

GeorgeK

Member
Location
Leicestershire
So to get a half decent arable payment you can't plough ?

Payments are all going to be retrospective after an assessor has determined if you tried hard enough or willfully breached your agreement ? Because a chunk of the arable options you simply can't commit to in advance, weather, availability of OM etc etc will determine whether rules can be met.
Yes you make a good point, vastly reduced management options so bad weather could mean no crop or breaching the rules. We will have to see if they will give derogations in some instances, they are talking about more flexibility and a light touch so it's possible
 

SFI - What % were you taking out of production?

  • 0 %

    Votes: 78 42.9%
  • Up to 25%

    Votes: 63 34.6%
  • 25-50%

    Votes: 30 16.5%
  • 50-75%

    Votes: 3 1.6%
  • 75-100%

    Votes: 3 1.6%
  • 100% I’ve had enough of farming!

    Votes: 5 2.7%

Red Tractor drops launch of green farming scheme amid anger from farmers

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As reported in Independent


quote: “Red Tractor has confirmed it is dropping plans to launch its green farming assurance standard in April“

read the TFF thread here: https://thefarmingforum.co.uk/index.php?threads/gfc-was-to-go-ahead-now-not-going-ahead.405234/
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