What should the replacement for SFI look like?

topground · Mar 26, 2024

SFI unravelling as the policy makers realise food might be in short supply and as of yesterday (25th March) not taking land out of food production is suddenly important to the government.
Is it important to the population as a whole to have home grown food production subsidised?
What should SFI be replaced with if anything?
How long does the civil service have to put a workable system in place before those who own land and don’t have debt decide that it is easier to get a job off farm and drastically reduce production of food from their land than continue to produce food for the benefit of the supermarket cartel robber barons? When that happens the necessary skills disappear, the infrastructure withers and we will be back to the 30s when land was ranched if anyone wanted it.

warksfarmer · Mar 26, 2024

topground said:
SFI unravelling as the policy makers realise food might be in short supply and as of yesterday (25th March) not taking land out of food production is suddenly important to the government.
Is it important to the population as a whole to have home grown food production subsidised?
What should SFI be replaced with if anything?
How long does the civil service have to put a workable system in place before those who own land and don’t have debt decide that it is easier to get a job off farm and drastically reduce production of food from their land than continue to produce food for the benefit of the supermarket cartel robber barons? When that happens the necessary skills disappear, the infrastructure withers and we will be back to the 30s when land was ranched if anyone wanted it.

Very simple really. A return to IACS and 10% setaside now called SFI. Guarantees food security whilst ticking the green box. I told Janet Hughes this about 18 months ago but she did not listen. This SFI is one huge cock up and when it hits mainstream media its the farmers the public are going to blame.

Clive · Mar 26, 2024

It should look pretty much like it does - i think they got it more right than even they may realise from an arable point of view

however it needs to be consistent, yesterdays announcement was a massive hit to the farmer confidence they had just started to gain

Clive · Mar 26, 2024

warksfarmer said:
Very simple really. A return to IACS and 10% setaside now called SFI. Guarantees food security whilst ticking the green box. I told Janet Hughes this about 18 months ago but she did not listen. This SFI is one huge cock up and when it hits mainstream media its the farmers the public are going to blame.

yep - just send the cheque direct to the landowners off shore account maybe to make things even better for tax payers ?

warksfarmer · Mar 26, 2024

Clive said:
yep - just send the cheque direct to the landowners off shore account maybe to make things even better for tax payers ?

IACS money would have to go the active farmer. Simple as that.

Zippy768 · Mar 26, 2024

The population want cheap food - end of. Ultimately they don't care how. You'll hear the occasional grumble about farmers taking subsidies, but then they go back to their cheap food.

What will probably happen is that there won't be a sufficient replacement for bps. Yet will be forced to still take low prices.

More will jack it in, but there is always someone bigger willing to take on land. Economies of scale will prevail I guess

Zippy768 · Mar 26, 2024

warksfarmer said:
IACS money would have to go the active farmer. Simple as that.

But we see this all the time. Landowners trying to look like they "farm" the ground. Will just be for IACS benefits as well as tax

Clive · Mar 26, 2024

warksfarmer said:
IACS money would have to go the active farmer. Simple as that.

……. who then paid it to his landlord in the form of higher rents that eligible land attracted

been there , got the t shirt ……. didn’t add a single £ to the farm

rather enjoyed IACS / BPS on the land invested in so owned, help pay the loans on it. …………. so thank-you to every tax payer that has made me as wealthy as i am today

Zippy768 · Mar 26, 2024

warksfarmer said:
Very simple really. A return to IACS and 10% setaside now called SFI. Guarantees food security whilst ticking the green box. I told Janet Hughes this about 18 months ago but she did not listen. This SFI is one huge cock up and when it hits mainstream media its the farmers the public are going to blame.

Yep, media will portray the farmers as too greedy

farmerm · Mar 26, 2024

warksfarmer said:
IACS money would have to go the active farmer. Simple as that.

No it just determines a rent baseline and it all goes to the landowner.

warksfarmer · Mar 26, 2024

farmerm said:
No it just determines a rent baseline and it all goes to the landowner.

Seen rents dropping recently now BPS is pretty much finished?

fudge · Mar 26, 2024

farmerm said:
No it just determines a rent baseline and it all goes to the landowner.

So does sfi that’s the evidence.

HarryB97 · Mar 26, 2024

Overall it’s quite good but needs payments for pulse crops and high protein forage crops like Lucerne as both are great for the environment. Some form of new entrant type scheme where the rent they pay is capped, the landlord gets a payment to compensate for a lower rent and inheritance tax relief is kept whilst they are part of the scheme. With the amount of capital required and contract farmers just getting bigger the future of the industry needs a leg up. Some form of flooding payment as well for people near big towns who’s farms are left to flood would also be good but would be big £s and would only pay out when flooding occurs.

farmerm · Mar 26, 2024

warksfarmer said:
Seen rents dropping recently now BPS is pretty much finished?

I don’t follow the rental market but no doubt too many still using a broken calculator.. if I fixed my calculator and looked at the rental value I’d probably fk the job in, take the rental money and let some other mug do the work.

Clive · Mar 26, 2024

warksfarmer said:
Seen rents dropping recently now BPS is pretty much finished?

yes

warksfarmer · Mar 26, 2024

Clive said:
yes

Gone up here. £220/ac grass. Pots £400/ac. Maize ground £300/ac. Carrots £650/ac. But if you are renting out 25% every year then those rents now have to match SFI after its costs otherwise theres not point renting out and risking being left with a mess due to late harvests.

Clive · Mar 26, 2024

warksfarmer said:
Gone up here. £220/ac grass. Pots £400/ac. Maize ground £300/ac. Carrots £650/ac. But if you are renting out 25% every year then those rents now have to match SFI after its costs otherwise theres not point renting out and risking being left with a mess due to late harvests.

sfi doesn’t complete with root rents, never has ( neither did bps)

warksfarmer · Mar 26, 2024

Clive said:
sfi doesn’t complete with root rents, never has ( neither did bps)

It does now. Even if you take into account the sfi seed and factor in glyphosate etc then you are still going to net £350/ac and then you've got all the hedgerow stuff and management plans etc. Net SFI on what I have done is £365/acre + direct drilling when it comes in. If those rents dont exceed that then whats the point.

Lawless · Mar 26, 2024

warksfarmer said:
Gone up here. £220/ac grass. Pots £400/ac. Maize ground £300/ac. Carrots £650/ac. But if you are renting out 25% every year then those rents now have to match SFI after its costs otherwise theres not point renting out and risking being left with a mess due to late harvests.

Would not let a spud grower anywhere near my ground for £400/ac!

warksfarmer · Mar 26, 2024

Lawless said:
Would not let a spud grower anywhere near my ground for £400/ac!

Maincrops no but earliers are fine. Generally out by the end of september so no mess.

What should the replacement for SFI look like?

Member

Member

Staff Member

Staff Member

Member

Member

Member

Staff Member

Member

Member

Member

Member

Member

Member

Staff Member

Member

Staff Member

Member

Member

Member

0 %

Up to 25%

25-50%

50-75%

75-100%

100% I’ve had enough of farming!

Share this page