New limits to SFI.
- Thread starter Yale
- Start date
Steevo
Member
- Location
- Gloucestershire
They said Rwanda flights would be "the Spring" which they called May. "The summer" therefore means they have until 31st August to announce the information.
Last edited:
- Location
- Hertfordshire
Those with agreements in the pipeline should not be affected
lloyd
Member
- Location
- Herefordshire
As members from Defra have been kindly taking note can
we have some money for drainage grants please ?
After all there are grants to improve productivity elsewhere
which are arguably less effective.
we have some money for drainage grants please ?
After all there are grants to improve productivity elsewhere
which are arguably less effective.
ah this is important, clarifies the situation
"From midnight tonight we’re not going to accept applications where the amount of land in total that is entered into any combination of those 6 actions is above 25% of a farm’s total land."
"
The new approach does not apply to:
- any SFI application that is already in progress
- SFI agreements that have already been offered to applicants
- existing SFI agreements. "
If the total area of your farmland is 100 hectares (ha), you can put 25ha in total in these 6 actions.
This could be 10ha of IGL2, 10ha of AHL1 and 5ha of IPM2 or any other amount as long it resulted in less than 25ha.
- Location
- Shropshire
Agreed. A lot of drains we still rely on were put in following the repeal of the Corn Laws in the 1860, with the aid of government support. The parallels between then and now are very obvious.
yellow belly
Member
- Location
- south west lincolnshire
this will deter landlords kicking tenants off and claiming themselves
in the years of the pilot scheme no one envisaged the low prices for crops and the agflation of costs
in the years of the pilot scheme no one envisaged the low prices for crops and the agflation of costs
Steevo
Member
- Location
- Gloucestershire
I'm curious about how this will work out with the whole SFI (ex. BPS) budget.
As has been discussed on here before, many farmers won't be going into SFI so they won't be receiving their BPS money back.
Taking this 25% figure - will ANY farm now be able to claim as much or more than their original BPS money in SFI options?
As has been discussed on here before, many farmers won't be going into SFI so they won't be receiving their BPS money back.
Taking this 25% figure - will ANY farm now be able to claim as much or more than their original BPS money in SFI options?
- Location
- Yorks
Current SFI rules say in years 2 and 3 you've to have at least 50% of your year 1 commitment, but no upward limit on area.
Are these scheme rules going to change?
Are these scheme rules going to change?
So the 1% have had half the budget and the 99% share what’s left
Yes put it all in Num3!
yellow belly
Member
- Location
- south west lincolnshire
2 years ago no one wanted to enter because crops were high priced
any one that predicted the prices t 2 years ago could have made a killing up and down and not need to farm
Steevo
Member
- Location
- Gloucestershire
It's laughable isn't it?!
They've spent years and years telling farmers that food production isn't a public good and that the Sustatainable Farming Incentive money needed to be spent on environmental measures only.
And now they tell farmers that they are worried about food production because they have incentivised other options.
I also found it interesting that their press release said: "1% of farmers that applied to SFI in 2023 asked to put 80% or more of their farm into the six non-productive actions"
I find it interesting that they used the word "farmers" rather than just "applicants".
yellow belly
Member
- Location
- south west lincolnshire
scotland should have the same system as england
if we all had the same scotland as a country gains more from the uk than those in england but thats another story !!
the scotish govenment as done well at getting more of the uks taxes
yellow belly
Member
- Location
- south west lincolnshire
they are only worried when one for their competitors gets an advantage
- Location
- North Somerset.
@Abi Kay A freedom of information request to DEFRA asking who the 1% of applicants / farmers are would be interesting as would the response refusing to reveal the culprits.
Steevo
Member
- Location
- Gloucestershire
A further thought.....
Assuming there are two 1000ha farms next door to one another.
Scenario 1:
One decides they will put 100% of their land into SFI wild bird seed mix - 1000ha
The other decides they won't put any into SFI at all and will go all out growing productive food crops as they have good land
Net result: 1000ha food crops on good land, 1000ha wild bird seed mix (potentially on poor land)
Scenario 2: (post cap)
Farm 1 can only put 25% of land in - 250ha of wild bird seed mix and uses the rest to grow arable crops
Farm 2 still doesn't want to be involved and still grows productive food crops
Net result: 1750ha food crops, 250ha of wild bird seed mix
So "nature" loses 750ha of wild bird seed mix. A 75% cut in "environmental benefits".
I'm wondering if the government naively think that this cap will mean lots of pockets of wild bird seed mix here and there across the country.
Instead all I can see happening is those that were interested cutting their areas back....and those that didn't want to be involved thinking that DEFRA can't be trusted not to change the rules again at some point.
Assuming there are two 1000ha farms next door to one another.
Scenario 1:
One decides they will put 100% of their land into SFI wild bird seed mix - 1000ha
The other decides they won't put any into SFI at all and will go all out growing productive food crops as they have good land
Net result: 1000ha food crops on good land, 1000ha wild bird seed mix (potentially on poor land)
Scenario 2: (post cap)
Farm 1 can only put 25% of land in - 250ha of wild bird seed mix and uses the rest to grow arable crops
Farm 2 still doesn't want to be involved and still grows productive food crops
Net result: 1750ha food crops, 250ha of wild bird seed mix
So "nature" loses 750ha of wild bird seed mix. A 75% cut in "environmental benefits".
I'm wondering if the government naively think that this cap will mean lots of pockets of wild bird seed mix here and there across the country.
Instead all I can see happening is those that were interested cutting their areas back....and those that didn't want to be involved thinking that DEFRA can't be trusted not to change the rules again at some point.
- Location
- West Sussex
They should just come up with a scheme that hands the money out equally based on the amount of land that you farm 
Steevo
Member
- Location
- Gloucestershire
We don't actually know whether any of those "farmers" were actually producing food in the first place.