Defra now looking at capping SFI

[jackrussell101]

Defra minister hints at SFI cap to maintain food production - Farmers Weekly

Defra farming minister Mark Spencer has suggested the government would consider capping the amount of environmental incentives farmers in England can

www.fwi.co.uk

 

[jackrussell101]

Surprise surprise.

£3 billion won't go far if everyone goes en mass into SFI.

 

[gone up the hill]

No surprise people are going hard into SFI at the expense of growing crops/ livestock etc given the payment rates for some options and the fact farm gate prices are very low in real terms v very high production costs/ red tape/ hassle with the EA and so on!

As it stands on grass farms the SFI options they want that pay and are worth doing can only be done if you drastically reduce livestock numbers!

They cannot keep changing the rules for SFI after people have signed up as the whole thing will become unworkable before long.

 

[jackrussell101]

No surprise people are going hard into SFI at the expense of growing crops/ livestock etc given the payment rates for some options and the fact farm gate prices are very low in real terms v very high production costs/ red tape/ hassle with the EA and so on!

As it stands on grass farms the SFI options they want that pay and are worth doing can only be done if you drastically reduce livestock numbers!

They cannot keep changing the rules for SFI after people have signed up as the whole thing will become unworkable before long.

Quite.

Trust isn't particularly high in politicians anyway and doesn't need any more undermining.

 

[delilah]

Janet was told on here, time and again, that if she wished to achieve her stated objective of addressing the fact that 50% of BPS went to 10% of farmers, she would have to put a cap on payments. And she told us on here, time and again, that 'we can't do that'.

edit: And they can start with the cr@p that shouldn't be in there anyway. Random example, the DD sub.

 

[Tubbylew]

From the article above;-

Mr Spencer said it was also dependent on farmers to get the right balance, adding: “If people do start to take the mickey, we will have to take action to stop that from happening.”

WTF does taking the mickey mean? It's their game and their rules. What a carry on.

 

[serf]

They cannot keep changing the rules for SFI after people have signed up as the whole thing will become unworkable before long.

Bet they will tho

 

[Wombat]

So what if SFI is making you more. My job is to still be in business next year, whether thats, SFI, battery storage, growing crops for AD, growing milling wheat, growing and fattening bullocks etc we take the best combination of options. Don't see people saying we should cap the tarriffs paid to AD etc

 

[serf]

Changing their minds?

https://www.edp24.co.uk/news/24101112.norfolk-farming-conference-hears-defra-minister-mark-spencer/

thefarmingforum.co.uk

 

[gone up the hill]

The whole SFI scheme has far too many options and they are paying far too much per acre for some options ( say AHL2 bird seed for example ) and not anywhere near enough for something like low input grassland or a clover ley so its not surprising that everyone is doing the non productive high paying non food producing options and not the low paying options which go hand in hand with producing food!

 

[neilo]

It should always have been capped IMO.

Will some of those big estates, that are supposed to have been taking land back in hand, have to ask their ex-tenants back again now?

 

[serf]

They'll end up doing full circle scrapping the lot ( after paying out billions in IT as per with every gov and IT scheme )and just press play on the old scheme and give everyone 70£/AC

 

[e3120]

Bet they will tho

I've said before that government should have already learnt from NI RHI that designing schemes without cost controls only ends in grief for all parties.

If defra has any spine, they'll put an absolute cap per holding, not a percentage one.

I bet some members now wish there wasn't an SFI section on this forum so that boundary-pushing thinking (aka "mickey taking") was kept out of the public arena.

 

[serf]

It should always have been capped IMO.

Will some of those big estates, that are supposed to have been taking land back in hand, have to ask their ex-tenants back again now?

A new sideline for them could be baking these

 

[farmerm]

No surprise people are going hard into SFI at the expense of growing crops/ livestock etc given the payment rates for some options and the fact farm gate prices are very low in real terms v very high production costs/ red tape/ hassle with the EA and so on!

As it stands on grass farms the SFI options they want that pay and are worth doing can only be done if you drastically reduce livestock numbers!

They cannot keep changing the rules for SFI after people have signed up as the whole thing will become unworkable before long.

They put forward a 3 year scheme. I’m not for protesting for protest sake but if they try to change it on the fly I will be parking machines on the M6 until they honour the scheme as was issued.

 

[farmerm]

I've said before that government should have already learnt from NI RHI that designing schemes without cost controls only ends in grief for all parties.

If defra has any spine, they'll put an absolute cap per holding, not a percentage one.

I bet some members now wish there wasn't an SFI section on this forum so that boundary-pushing thinking was kept out of the public arena.

Nobody is really pushing boundaries just seeking optimum income from what is presented to us, like any business aims to do.

 

[warksfarmer]

Defra minister hints at SFI cap to maintain food production - Farmers Weekly

Defra farming minister Mark Spencer has suggested the government would consider capping the amount of environmental incentives farmers in England can

www.fwi.co.uk

And so it begins ................

 

[farmerm]

I've said before that government should have already learnt from NI RHI that designing schemes without cost controls only ends in grief for all parties.

If defra has any spine, they'll put an absolute cap per holding, not a percentage one.

I bet some members now wish there wasn't an SFI section on this forum so that boundary-pushing thinking (aka "mickey taking") was kept out of the public arena.

Then you will see artificial holding separations..

 

[Andy26]

Defra minister hints at SFI cap to maintain food production - Farmers Weekly

Defra farming minister Mark Spencer has suggested the government would consider capping the amount of environmental incentives farmers in England can

www.fwi.co.uk

Would be better if farmgate produce paid a fair price, would be no worry about maintaining food production then.

If we banned the consumption as well as production of food produced using banned chemicals, GMO, and other practices not permitted in the UK, we would have a thriving farm sector.

The French are taking a step towards this.

 

[Still Farming]

Welsh Assembly got no money to start with???