New limits to SFI.

Wood field · Mar 28, 2024

fieldfarmer said:
But surely its thought out on replacing / offsetting earning potential per acre to encourage applicants ,the playing field will never be level if on one side could grow carrots and the other sustain a few sheep to the acre per Yr.

I see what you mean, it’s a complicated hodgepodge for sure.
Bps is decisive, sfi more so to a hill farmer.
Rightly or wrongly, I feel that our efforts in using little if any herbicides, zero ( so far) artificial fert, working on upland grass is being dropped, while arable can claim big bucks for flower mixes .
If we all had the same per acre and proved to be active farmers, then how many would suddenly plant wild flowers “ for the public good ?”

Bossfarmer · Mar 28, 2024

DrWazzock said:
Exactly. Whether by accident or design, that’s how it worked and it worked well. BPS was enough of a payment to reduce the risk of production to comfortable levels but not enough free money to make it sensible to stop production entirely. BPS made production worthwhile from a risk perspective simply because it lessened the risk of going bust if you carried on producing, while sometimes things came good and production added to BPS.
BPS underpinned production but wasn’t a big enough payment to discourage it. You ajways had the chance of making a bit more on top by producing but with BPS as the safety net if markets or weather conditions went wrong.
Looking back it was a damn good thing.

@Clive

livestock 1 · Mar 28, 2024

aangus said:
get some herbs and legumes dd and claim

Only available on what they class as improved so not available even though they knocked me out the better payment for improving it

Aspiring Peasants · Mar 28, 2024

livestock 1 said:
Only available on what they class as improved so not available even though they knocked me out the better payment for improving it

The definition of improved is not hard to meet. I've got all our SDA classed as improved now because of spraying rushes and liming. Any mowing ground should definitely qualify. I'm looking at putting herbal leys in some, I don't think they'll grow but I'll make sure I can prove I've followed their guidance

farmerm · Mar 28, 2024

Bossfarmer said:
the facts show otherwise, most farms recieving it continued to produce food

UK food production could cease entirely and the global price of food commodities wouldn’t even flinch

Huno · Mar 28, 2024

farmerm said:
UK food production could cease entirely and the global price of food commodities wouldn’t even flinch

When we fail to produce food in a bad year they import it... when we over produce we export it to france and ireland and buy it back off them the following year... fair point

e3120 · Mar 28, 2024

farmerm said:
UK food production could cease entirely and the global price of food commodities wouldn’t even flinch

Maybe you, and plenty others, could realise there's a world beyond cereals. Not just meat/diary, but fruit/veg too.

Humble Village Farmer · Mar 28, 2024

livestock 1 said:
Prices have shot up for consumers as bps has dropped
Coincidence? No

My god, you are now complaining about higher prices!

Huno · Mar 28, 2024

e3120 said:
Maybe you, and plenty others, could realise there's a world beyond cereals. Not just meat/diary, but fruit/veg too.

Nuts, Rice, Cocoa, Palm Oils... many many foods...

Huno · Mar 28, 2024

Humble Village Farmer said:
My god, you are now complaining about higher prices!

If food prices doubled it would be a wonderful thing!!

farmerm · Mar 28, 2024

Bossfarmer said:
its not wheat that impacts the weekly shop very little effect on a loaf of bread wheats mainly used for livstock feed, its things like beef and lamb that have most effect, show us the graph for those

By area cereals were by far the biggest recipient of BPS… Pork, chicken, eggs, veg, potatoes, these are the things that impact the weekly shopping, things BPS is either not involved in of small fry in the overall turnover So you say BPS kept the price down for beef and lamb.. government could have achieved that far far more cheaply simply by cutting tariffs… and that’s what is now happening with agreement of all parties in the commons.

BrianV · Mar 28, 2024

It's farming polluting the rivers they claim, really? All these sewage overflows from just one part of Dartmoor

farmerm · Mar 28, 2024

Bossfarmer said:
has the value of farm output increase by £115/ha

good question lets look at facts, hoggs for example are about £60/head dearer now than pre bps cuts, how many hoggs would you get to the acre on stubble neeps? 12 per acre roughly? so your over £1700 increase per acre

even on grass lowly stocked at 4 ewes per acre with 1.5 lambs thats 6 lambs at £60/hd increase, £360/acre increase so £889/ha increase

similar calcs can be done with cattle

So supermarkets are paying more for beef and lamb to make up for BPS removal, what market mechanism makes that work?? The better prices cushion the blow of BPS reduction but the two are in no way related.

farmerm · Mar 28, 2024

e3120 said:
Maybe you, and plenty others, could realise there's a world beyond cereals. Not just meat/diary, but fruit/veg too.

I actually work with a lot of fruit and veg producers…. Argument was around BPS ensuring cheap food. Biggest area receiving BPS was cereals which are priced globally. BPS is almost irrelevant to those horticultural crops. BPS keeping consumer prices low is a myth.

farmerm · Mar 28, 2024

Huno said:
If food prices doubled it would be a wonderful thing!!

I would still somehow end up buying high and selling low

willyorkshire · Mar 28, 2024

farmerm said:
So supermarkets are paying more for beef and lamb to make up for BPS removal, what market mechanism makes that work?? The better prices cushion the blow of BPS reduction but the two are in no way related.

Can only be short supply. The ONLY thing retailers fear!

livestock 1 · Mar 28, 2024

Aspiring Peasants said:
The definition of improved is not hard to meet. I've got all our SDA classed as improved now because of spraying rushes and liming. Any mowing ground should definitely qualify. I'm looking at putting herbal leys in some, I don't think they'll grow but I'll make sure I can prove I've followed their guidance

They decide what it is regardless to what I have done with it though

livestock 1 · Mar 28, 2024

Humble Village Farmer said:
My god, you are now complaining about higher prices!

No please keep up
These people didn’t know that bps had kept food cheaper
Not complaining stating a fact that can’t be denied

livestock 1 · Mar 28, 2024

farmerm said:
I actually work with a lot of fruit and veg producers…. Argument was around BPS ensuring cheap food. Biggest area receiving BPS was cereals which are priced globally. BPS is almost irrelevant to those horticultural crops. BPS keeping consumer prices low is a myth.

What do you do?

Huno · Mar 28, 2024

farmerm said:
I would still somehow end up buying high and selling low

Me too!!!

New limits to SFI.

Member

Member

Member

Member

Member

Member

Member

Member

Member

Member

Member

Member

Member

Member

Member

Member

Member

Member

Member

Member

0 %

Up to 25%

25-50%

50-75%

75-100%

100% I’ve had enough of farming!

Share this page