- Location
- South Wiltshire
Absolute joke that those in Countryside Stewardship cannot apply online today with everyone else. We have to email to ask apparently. I look forward to the reply in two months...
Yes, we adjusted the terms and conditions following feedback from farmers, including on here, about the balance of Ts and Cs, to reduce our ability to make changes without your consent other than in genuinely exceptional circumstances (previous contracts had a much more general clause giving Defra the power to vary contracts).Thanks for improving the T & C's.
6.4 When we may change your Agreement
(a) We will not usually seek to vary your Agreement during the Agreement Period (in a way not referred to elsewhere in these Terms and Conditions).
(b) However, it is possible we may offer you an Agreement upgrade during the Agreement Period. For example, this may be the case if we make changes to these Terms and Conditions or the Standards.
(c) If we offer you an Agreement upgrade under condition 6.4(b), we will notify you in writing setting out the details. It will be possible for you either to accept the Agreement upgrade or continue with your existing Agreement.
(d) There may also be exceptional circumstances (not referred to elsewhere in these Terms and Conditions) where we have to vary your Agreement during the Agreement Period. We will only do this due to exceptional circumstances, such as:
(i) changes in Law which must be reflected in the Agreement;
(ii) the need to respond to wider government emergency measures and/or measures imperative to the national interest, for example, disease outbreaks or food security emergencies.
(e) If we vary the Agreement under condition 6.4(d):
(i) we will notify you in writing and will endeavour to give such notice as is reasonable and proportionate, having regard to the nature of the variation and its consequences for you;
(ii) any variation to the Agreement will apply from the date we specify in our notice to you; and
(iii) if the variation to the Agreement under condition 6.4(d) is unacceptable to you, you can terminate your Agreement by notifying us in writing within a reasonable period that we will specify in our notice to you. Condition 15.3(d) will not apply provided you inform us within the period specified by us.
I did also notice that it will be very dificult for a farmer to terminate an agreement;
(a) During the Agreement Period, we will not usually allow you to remove a Standard, move Agreement Land to a lower Level under the Standards or remove land parcels from the Agreement Land. This is explained in the section about requesting changes to your agreement in the Scheme Rules.
(b) If you want to remove a Standard or move to a lower Level under the Standards or remove land parcels forming part of the Agreement Land, you must write to us to request this and explain (providing any supporting evidence) why you wish to do so.
(c) We will consider requests under condition 6.3 on a case-by-case basis and may allow the request if there is a Change of Circumstances as defined in condition 7. We will inform you of our decision within a reasonable time period.
(d) If we approve a request to remove a Standard or move to a lower Level under the Standards or remove land parcels forming part of the Agreement Land, then we may reduce, recover or withhold payment of the Grant in whole or in part until that request has been processed and the Agreement amended accordingly.
That's because we're rolling out some new functionality in a careful, managed way over the first few weeks, so that we can give everyone the right level of service and support.Absolute joke that those in Countryside Stewardship cannot apply online today with everyone else. We have to email to ask apparently. I look forward to the reply in two months...
As will a lot of farmers, I suspect.Quick look show the reward for the introductory levels are circa £10 acre.
Sorry but at that level I`ll pass
The payment rates are derisory, we are not valued. Our time is not valued. Id be far better of doing more tractor driving for a mate or doing a couple of shifts in the local pub a week.Quick look show the reward for the introductory levels are circa £10 acre.
Sorry but at that level I`ll pass
Good afternoon all,
I wanted to let you know that we've opened the Sustainable Farming Incentive for applications today.
You can find a summary of what's available in this initial rollout here: https://www.gov.uk/guidance/a-summary-of-the-sfi-in-2022 - we'll be expanding the scheme to cover more actions over the next 3 years.
You can find information on how to apply here: https://www.gov.uk/guidance/how-to-...-standards-agreement-on-land-outside-a-common
We've designed the service to be as straightforward and fast as possible for farmers. It includes some new functionality to enable us to simplify the application process for farmers and process your applications faster. We're rolling that out in a careful, controlled way over the next few weeks, so that we can make sure we're able to give everyone the right level of service and support. So from today if you're in CS or ES, or farming on a common, you'll need to contact RPA who will support you to apply. If you're a BPS claimant and don't have any other agreements in place, you can apply directly online through the rural payments service from today (we've already had our first completed application, in fact).
I'll be online to answer any questions about the overall scheme and policy, as ever, but if it's about something specific to your farm or application I'll recommend you contact RPA by phone or email: 03000 200 301 [email protected]
Thanks but all PP grazed on rental agreements here with landowners taking the subGood afternoon all,
I wanted to let you know that we've opened the Sustainable Farming Incentive for applications today.
You can find a summary of what's available in this initial rollout here: https://www.gov.uk/guidance/a-summary-of-the-sfi-in-2022 - we'll be expanding the scheme to cover more actions over the next 3 years.
You can find information on how to apply here: https://www.gov.uk/guidance/how-to-...-standards-agreement-on-land-outside-a-common
We've designed the service to be as straightforward and fast as possible for farmers. It includes some new functionality to enable us to simplify the application process for farmers and process your applications faster. We're rolling that out in a careful, controlled way over the next few weeks, so that we can make sure we're able to give everyone the right level of service and support. So from today if you're in CS or ES, or farming on a common, you'll need to contact RPA who will support you to apply. If you're a BPS claimant and don't have any other agreements in place, you can apply directly online through the rural payments service from today (we've already had our first completed application, in fact).
I'll be online to answer any questions about the overall scheme and policy, as ever, but if it's about something specific to your farm or application I'll recommend you contact RPA by phone or email: 03000 200 301 [email protected]
Because they haven't listened, that's why.
Yes especially as most CS practical options are considered to be double funding.. it is a bit of a kick in the knackers for those who do the right thingsAbsolute joke that those in Countryside Stewardship cannot apply online today with everyone else. We have to email to ask apparently. I look forward to the reply in two months...
No, but if you need support on this or any other part of the process then please do contact the RPAIs it going to be out in a printed form?
Yes there will be more standards next year covering Hedgerows, Integrated Pest Management and Nutrient Management, and then more the following year, and you'll be able to add Local Nature Recovery options as well from 2024/25. You can come into SFI now and then add more land / standards / levels of ambition each year, if you like, or wait until there's a combination that works from your point of view. (We can only add in more standards each year as more money is released from BPS, hence the limited offer in this first year)As will a lot of farmers, I suspect.
A "fag packet" calculation was that at present, I could get 6-700 quid by chasing around and doing a bit here and a bit there. I have not valued my time at anything to make a claim work, and not really costed the demands such as testing either.
I'll pass too. But will keep an open mind, as and when the changes and other standards come forward...
SFI is only open to BPS claimants (more than 5 hectares) at the moment, but we'll be extending SFI to farms smaller than 5 hectares in due course (likely to be after 2024), so you should be able to access it then if not beforeThanks but all PP grazed on rental agreements here with landowners taking the sub
Owned land is less than 5 ha and thus although I farm over 60 ha and have over 40 breeding cows, I still won't get a penny towards my "veterinary assistance"
I shall carry on working outside the system you've designed @Janet Hughes Defra
No, but if you need support on this or any other part of the process then please do contact the RPA
Should we be asking HM Treasury to support this SFI transition with extra funding from the old EU pot until 2025??Yes there will be more standards next year covering Hedgerows, Integrated Pest Management and Nutrient Management, and then more the following year, and you'll be able to add Local Nature Recovery options as well from 2024/25. You can come into SFI now and then add more land / standards / levels of ambition each year, if you like, or wait until there's a combination that works from your point of view. (We can only add in more standards each year as more money is released from BPS, hence the limited offer in this first year)
You are right... all creates more work for the Agents!I daresay that in common with many other farmers of the older generation, they aren't going to go and turn on the computer (hardly know how) and sit down in front of the screen and read. For one thing it is much harder to read things off the screen, it is hard to refer back to previously read paragraphs and so it becomes all "too much" so they just aren't going to bother.
Nice to know we have government support for the black market economy.SFI is only open to BPS claimants (more than 5 hectares) at the moment, but we'll be extending SFI to farms smaller than 5 hectares in due course (likely to be after 2024), so you should be able to access it then if not before