Sustainable farming incentive - handbook for 2023 has been published

Janet Hughes Defra

Janet Hughes Defra

Member
✓
Afternoon all,

Today we've published a handbook containing all the detailed information about the sustainable farming incentive offer for this year.

The handbook is here:
https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/sfi-handbook-for-the-sfi-2023-offer

An overview blogpost is here: https://defrafarming.blog.gov.uk/2023/06/21/sfi-more-ways-to-enhance-your-income-productivity-and-the-environment/

The handbook sets out all the detailed actions, rules and requirements of the scheme, in a single handbook that you can download and print (because this is what many of you have asked us to do, rather than spreading the information across multiple pages on GOV.UK).

We have made some changes to the scheme in response to feedback from you and other farmers and through our pilot and early rollout of the scheme. In particular, we have made a much broader range of options available, made the scheme more flexible so you can pick the individual actions you want to do rather than having to do them in set combinations or percentages of land entered into the scheme.

Finally, I know I have not been present on the forum in the consistent, ongoing way many of you would like. I understand why that has been frustrating and annoying, and I am really sorry about that. I have found that am just not able to personally engage on every thread on an ongoing basis, I'm afraid. However I do really want to find a way of addressing your questions and hearing your feedback all the time, not just when we publish new information, so I am working with @Clive to put in place a better, ongoing, sustainable way of managing this so that you can ask questions of me and my team and give us feedback when they arise. We will let you know where we get to with that as soon as possible.

For this particular thread, I am planning to be online at least daily, for the next week, to answer your questions about the information we've published today. I have posted this as a question with voting, and if you could upvote questions that you particularly want me to address it would be helpful if you could vote for them so that I can prioritise my time and attention, and I will then do my best to work through as many of them as I possibly can. I hope this is helpful and look forward to your questions.

If you have questions about your specific farm situation, the best thing to do is contact the RPA contact centre and they will be able to point you in the right direction.

Thank you.
 
Solution
T
Honestly this is where you get farmers feedback and where you should have laid out questions before any bps was removed , it seems the cart was sent out before the horse was even born you now have the whole budget and are asking us if we want to participate with tearms that are ludicrous to any business owner for little in return but a few quid and a "your doing your bit for the environment"? the forms are so complex that it might as well be written in binary code.
Sort by date Sort by votes
Two Tone

Two Tone

Member
Mixed Farmer
Location
Moreton-in-Marsh, Glos
BigBarl said:
I’m a bit late to the thread and not reading through 107 pages beforehand. However my view of SFI is as follows. Farms are a business and a business needs to move with the times and changing consumer trends. The trend(s) at the moment to me seems to be UK agricultural produce is not valued by its domestic market compared to inferior imports, the government want park keepers and not farmers (free trade deals and net zero being the big contributors / alarm bells) and as stand alone business’, the margins on growing crops / livestock are shite to the point of is it worth the continued risk?

I like to imagine parallel scenarios to try a rationalise my thoughts so take the above sentiment and apply it in the context of a business manufacturing cars. Your car company used to be subsidised heavily to keep workers employed but in a few years time no longer will be, you’re already receiving a third / half of what you were three years ago on top of the cost of your raw materials going up by 30% in the same period. Nobody wants to buy your British made cars anymore because the EU / Asian made ones still get you to your Pilates class and back and are cheaper thanks to the government allowing them into the country for next to nothing because they removed the import tariffs. The margin you are making on the cars you are producing and managing to sell is woeful and hardly worth the capital outlay without the subsidy. But… the government are offering a new financial support for you, but it’s not aimed at producing British cars for British people, instead it’s aimed at turning over your factory floor production space to make bicycles instead of cars because they’re better for the environment and help achieve net zero goals.

in both the above scenarios the farmer / car manufacturer have the same choices.

1. Sell up what assets you have, accept no one wants your products anymore and reinvest in a completely new industry you have no real understanding of or passion for
2. Take the support payment from the government and change your business to meet changing consumer needs / wants so you can keep hold of your assets
3. Stoically carry on doing what you love doing but making no money doing it because no one wants your produce anymore. This carries on until you run out of money and accept option 1 or 2, or the bank take what assets you have left.

I’ve accepted option 2 - no one wants my wheat anymore to feed animals because livestock are one of the causes of global warming (apparently) so they all need getting rid of. I can never achieve 13% protein to grow milling wheat to feed an actual human without an unsustainable amount of artificial fertiliser, so I can’t switch to growing and selling that either (not to mention I’m already told Canada / Germany / France can already do it better and cheaper than I can). I’ve tried diversifying my arable farming business with livestock but local planners and public don’t want / won’t allow that either. But I can grow clover and wildflowers and take £500/ha of tax payers money for doing so which covers my costs and shows a small, but guaranteed profit. This frees up my time to get another job along side park keeping such as driving a delivery van for a supermarket to distribute all of the imported food to peoples doors they’re too busy to get themselves. I can also sell most of my arable machinery and just keep a tractor, mower and drill for my wildflower plots every few years. With this capital from machinery sales I can invest in a start-up business importing food to feed Britain from the rest of the world whilst outbidding poorer countries that can’t grow their own food because their climate and infrastructure won’t support food production, not just because they would prefer somewhere a bit nicer to walk the dog of a weekend.

so, annually my 200ha of available cropping could go from currently producing (in equivalents) circa

- 1.5m loaves of bread
- 4.5m pints of beer
- 60k litres OSR cooking oil

to…

-200Ha of grazing for around 50 brown hares, 10 roe deer, and 20 muntjac.

it’s a funny old world.
Click to expand...
Here is an alternative that would have happened to us had we stayed in the EU:

What interests me is apart from a slightly alternate approach is that both the UK and EU will end up exporting their problem to less scrupulous parts of the word that we can’t see. Without alternatively having even considered making what we do even more efficient, therefore solving the two problems of producing enough food as environmentally friendly as per at the same time.

Both the U.K. and the EU are run by idiots!
Whist at the same time its population thrive on moaning about what it thinks is wrong, rather than celebrating its achievements and encourage more of them.
 
Upvote 0 Downvote
topground

topground

Member
Livestock Farmer
Location
North Somerset.
Sid said:
The minimum grant you can apply for is £15,000 (40% of £37,500).

Half the cost of the complete build is usually the shed.
Click to expand...
J 1177 said:
Yes but there are stipulations of how they need to be finished off and furnished which adds a big layer of cost. Not to mention the sceme is also a competitive one so your not guarunteed to get the grant.
Click to expand...
Rolls Royce standards on bicycle money. DEFRA clearly don’t look at the economics of demanding their standards of design and construction of calf houses while only offering grants that cover 40%.
Where do these desk jockeys think the other 60% is coming from when the margins in the job are so low that payback on the investment would be measured in centuries? Any investment here has come from BPS. SFI is not viable .
Why jump all of the hoops designed to provide work for RPA staff when you can buy calf hutches off the shelf that don’t need planning permission and are ready to go?
This scheme and many others currently relaxing BPS is all fine and dandy for calf rearing operations that are run by research organisations and Vet schools that don’t have to make a profit but not fit for purpose n commercial operations struggling in the face of cartel buyer dominance..
Anyone have the answer @Janet Hughes Defra ?
 
Upvote 0 Downvote
Henarar

Henarar

Member
Livestock Farmer
Location
Somerset
Sid said:
That's what the text says in the guidance.


www.gov.uk

SFI actions for nutrient management

Find out about the SFI actions for nutrient management, what land is eligible for each action, and what you need to do to get paid.
www.gov.uk www.gov.uk

Go for that instead then.

You don't have to do herbal leys if they don't suit, or you can be a subsidy junkie/chaser if you wish
Click to expand...
It says establish and maintain. what if you already have legumes can you get away with just the maintain ?
 
Upvote 0 Downvote
steveR

steveR

Member
Mixed Farmer
Location
Gods own County, Shropshire of course
Aspiring Peasants said:
What is acceptable as a herbal ley? The definition is so vague

What to do​

You must establish and maintain herbal leys with a mixture of grasses, legumes, and herbs on the land entered into this action.


So if I direct drill some clover and herbs into an existing grass ley, and not much grows but I can prove I’ve done it, is that acceptable?
Click to expand...
That is the question.... but no one seems to know the answer! 🤷‍♂️
 
Last edited:
Upvote 0 Downvote
Henarar

Henarar

Member
Livestock Farmer
Location
Somerset
soapsud said:
You may need proof of fresh seed. Ask our resident lycra merchent to send you an empty GS4 bag?
Click to expand...
Whats wrong with the clover that's there, it seems to like it here as it grew on its own and we have docks and thistles to bring up nutrients, I think I have my own self grown herbal and will put it all down as that and claim the £382/ha
Oh the good life (y)
 
Upvote 0 Downvote
S

soapsud

Member
Livestock Farmer
Location
Dorset
Henarar said:
Whats wrong with the clover that's there, it seems to like it here as it grew on its own and we have docks and thistles to bring up nutrients, I think I have my own self grown herbal and will put it all down as that and claim the £382/ha
Oh the good life (y)
Click to expand...
Money for nothing and chicks for free, eh?
On a serious note, there's clover and there's clover. We get lots of self-seeding small leaved clover that presumably isn't as good as the big leaved hybrid type. I wonder if a RPA inspector would discriminate the difference?
 
Upvote 0 Downvote
Two Tone

Two Tone

Member
Mixed Farmer
Location
Moreton-in-Marsh, Glos
Just been on the phone for the 3rd time re getting the printed version of the 2023 SFI Handbook.
To be told for the 2nd time that it isn’t available in print.
When I pointed out that it IS available as promised by @Janet Hughes Defra on this thread and by the person I spoke to of the first phone call 5 weeks ago, plus the fact that according the OED, ‘Handbook’ means something printed, the story changed yet again!
It was sent, but obviously got lost in the post. Yeah right!
It will be resent and I should get it by the middle of next week.
I’ll keep you posted (no pun intended)!
 
Upvote 0 Downvote
Sid

Sid

Member
Livestock Farmer
Location
South Molton
If you all read the advice on the DEFRA website you would know, it's all there in black and white.

But here it is spoon fed for you

"You must establish and maintain legumes on improved grassland entered into this action.

You can use one or more type of legume, such as:

red clover
white clover
alsike clover
sainfoin
lucerne
bird’s foot trefoil

You can establish the legumes by:

adding them to an existing grass swardsowing a mix of grass and legumes

Once established, you must maintain the legumes. To do this, you must manage them in a way that could reasonably be expected to achieve this action’s aim.

You can maintain existing areas of legumes on improved grassland to meet this action if they:

meet the requirements explained aboveare not already being for under another environmental land management scheme option, such as CS option GS4 (legume and herb-rich swards)"
 
Upvote 0 Downvote
D

Devil's advocate

Member
Location
Posh side of Barnsley
Wood field said:
That’s the thing, we have two choices, make the best of what we have or take the sfi and hope it works for you/me
Well the third option is to say fek it and pack in
I wouldn’t say a little farm on the edge of the moor is exactly a tourist hotspot, but yes certainly some have that as an option, but then I waited a long time to afford this farm so I want to farm it not clean caravan toilets
By the way of an aside and going back to my point on geography, I used to cross over the moor from Oldham to holmfirth and then over to Denby Dale to a certain Dairy , the difference in the land is incredible, I suppose that’s what makes farming such a challenge and one would hope , these scheme makers would see we can’t have a one thing fits all system.
Click to expand...
Not too sure about your land. But get above Keithly it does seem a bit depressing, miles of wet looking fields with slopes, neither pretty heather or nice green fields. I accept its quite nice around me it goes from decent arable land in a densley populated area to miles of pretty heather moorland within about 10 miles. In fact I can see heather moorland from my caulie field maybe two miles away.

The local hill farmers in the recent past have embrassed lots of enviromental grants & reduced stocking rates. They have used the grant money to rent or buy far better land locally where they breed fancy lambs, the 3/4 Texel dry ewes are fine on the edge of the moors & lambs can be finished indoors. Locally miles of drystone walls have been built & holiday cottage business's established.

Some trees have been planted not many get & money available for those with ideas to stop Sheffield from flooding. Rewilding has been a money spinner but also an enviromental disaster, due to wild fires.
 
Upvote 0 Downvote
Tubbylew

Tubbylew

Member
Location
Herefordshire
Henarar said:
Janet said existing will do but she didnt say how much existing of each
Click to expand...
I don't know if they're trying to be helpful leaving it vague, or they're trying to make it vague to make it easier to claw back money, in theory we could put the whole lot into sam3 as is, there don't seem to be any stocking restrictions that I can see but how do we prove it's what they're looking for?
 
Upvote 0 Downvote
Wood field

Wood field

Member
Livestock Farmer
Location
South Pennines ol14
Devil's advocate said:
Not too sure about your land. But get above Keithly it does seem a bit depressing, miles of wet looking fields with slopes, neither pretty heather or nice green fields. I accept its quite nice around me it goes from decent arable land in a densley populated area to miles of pretty heather moorland within about 10 miles. In fact I can see heather moorland from my caulie field maybe two miles away.

The local hill farmers in the recent past have embrassed lots of enviromental grants & reduced stocking rates. They have used the grant money to rent or buy far better land locally where they breed fancy lambs, the 3/4 Texel dry ewes are fine on the edge of the moors & lambs can be finished indoors. Locally miles of drystone walls have been built & holiday cottage business's established.

Some trees have been planted not many get & money available for those with ideas to stop Sheffield from flooding. Rewilding has been a money spinner but also an enviromental disaster, due to wild fires.
Click to expand...
We are just above odmorden ( todmorden) 15 minuets we have Burnley and what looks good grassland , 1/2 hr Rochdale and again half decent grass
Ours starts at 1000’ and is I suppose reclaimed moor from the enclosure days
 
Upvote 0 Downvote
Aspiring Peasants

Aspiring Peasants

Member
Location
North Pennines
Sid said:
If you all read the advice on the DEFRA website you would know, it's all there in black and white.

But here it is spoon fed for you

"You must establish and maintain legumes on improved grassland entered into this action.

You can use one or more type of legume, such as:

red clover
white clover
alsike clover
sainfoin
lucerne
bird’s foot trefoil

You can establish the legumes by:

adding them to an existing grass swardsowing a mix of grass and legumes

Once established, you must maintain the legumes. To do this, you must manage them in a way that could reasonably be expected to achieve this action’s aim.

You can maintain existing areas of legumes on improved grassland to meet this action if they:

meet the requirements explained aboveare not already being for under another environmental land management scheme option, such as CS option GS4 (legume and herb-rich swards)"
Click to expand...
But it doesn’t say what percentage of the ley needs to be clover etc or what happens if you can prove you planted it but it didn’t grow?
 
Upvote 0 Downvote
Aspiring Peasants

Aspiring Peasants

Member
Location
North Pennines
milkloss said:
Quick message as I’ve got a bit on……
Looking at the IGL2, anyone else considering destocking and putting a sizeable chunk of the farm in it?
I see the option has had some forum time already so apologies there but it’s becoming quite tempting!
Click to expand...
Yes, again my problem is the vagueness about the desired outcome. I can do what they suggest which is cut or graze march to July and leave it after that, but will that be enough if there isn’t a lot of seeded grass etc by October, after that the frost wI’ll probably flatten them!
 
Upvote 0 Downvote

SFI - What % were you taking out of production?

  • 0 %

    Votes: 112 38.2%

  • Up to 25%

    Votes: 112 38.2%

  • 25-50%

    Votes: 42 14.3%

  • 50-75%

    Votes: 6 2.0%

  • 75-100%

    Votes: 4 1.4%

  • 100% I’ve had enough of farming!

    Votes: 17 5.8%
See comments…

May Event: The most profitable farm diversification strategy 2024 - Mobile Data Centres

Apr 02
  • 3,715
  • 59
With just a internet connection and a plug socket you too can join over 70 farms currently earning up to £1.27 ppkw ~ 201% ROI

Register Here: https://www.eventbrite.com/e/the-mo...2024-mobile-data-centres-tickets-871045770347

Tuesday, May 21 · 10am - 2pm GMT+1

Location: Village Hotel Bury, Rochdale Road, Bury, BL9 7BQ

The Farming Forum has teamed up with the award winning hardware manufacturer Easy Compute to bring you an educational talk about how AI and blockchain technology is helping farmers to diversify their land.

Over the past 7 years, Easy Compute have been working with farmers, agricultural businesses, and renewable energy farms all across the UK to help turn leftover space into mini data centres. With...
News
Continue…

Share this page

Top