‘Sustainable’ is the new buzzword.
SFI = Sustainable Farming Incentive.
But for most Farmers, the true meaning of "sustainable", is that of being profitable enough to make a reasonable living, and to stay in business...
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For those farming less than 200 acres.
- Thread starter delilah
- Start date
But for most Farmers, the true meaning of "sustainable", is that of being profitable enough to make a reasonable living, and to stay in business...
Oh dear god, I've started using phrases like " Income streams " now.
I really must apologise to the forum for talking tosh. I don't know what came over me.
- Location
- Bury St Edmunds, Suffolk
R4 Farming Today featured a suckler farmer from Wiltshire who also worked for the RPA pat time
He said he wasn't in an AONB or Nat park and even he wouldn't be going in to any ELMS schemes
- Location
- Devon
Absolutely.
What sustainable should mean is that the process should be repeatable an infinite amount of times.
What they mean by sustainable is what they can make others change so they don't have to.
No
BPS is not really that much to do with the farming business but its quite important to me, can't see the pension pot growing without it.
Not sure yet but it will be looked at.
Probably fecked but who gives a sh1t anyway as anything I can do can be imported cheaper anyway.
- Location
- Glen Clova, Angus, DD8 4RD
Just so long as you don't start saying 'going forward" instead of "in future"Oh dear god, I've started using phrases like " Income streams " now.
spin cycle
Member
- Location
- north norfolk
thats the 'nail on the head'.....it's about risk.....i can raise a crop of lambs and turn the tups in ewes knowing that,with bps, if there's a drought or price collapse i'll be ok.....without that 'safety net' i'm only willing to take the risk on a smaller scale
mind you my decision is partly personal cos 2 months ago i now find my self a carer for my 80 yr old mum
theres a lot of talk about diversification and off farm working.....thats great as long as that money doesn't end up 'propping up' marginal commodity production
spin cycle
Member
- Location
- north norfolk
Doesn't it always??
we're well diversified....i've a sneeking suspicion that we won't notice the cash difference as we reduce the flock and may even be slightly better off
In my case, it will the sucklers that are off... A few left because we like them, but not cost effective into the future, and probably never were...
Mixedupfarmer
Member
- Location
- Norfolk
Yes most if not all the answers to the reduction in bps payments seem to be diversification, most of which are not allowed, cannot be done, or are far too risky with short tenancies etc on tenanted farms.
- Location
- Glen Clova, Angus, DD8 4RD
Here it's PV, a phone mast, a bit of eco- consultancy and occasional contracting. Most of those don't work for a tenant. I'd be more worried if I were still a tenant as we were until 2002.
Adjusting the business to significantly cut cost is our main approach.
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- Location
- North Hampshire
(1) No
(2) Just able to survive without them .
(3) Doesn't seem to be worth the effort .
(4) I will be in my late fifties , looking to wind down a bit , arable out to contract just looking after a few head of stock .
(2) Just able to survive without them .
(3) Doesn't seem to be worth the effort .
(4) I will be in my late fifties , looking to wind down a bit , arable out to contract just looking after a few head of stock .
The Seeker
Member
Just over the acreage in question but that said
Have you been invited to be a pilot for the SFI ? no Will you be taking up the invitation ? depends
2) How important are current BPS payments to your business ? VERY VERY VERY its basically the profit for a years hard work.
3) From what you know to date, do you see the SFI as being of relevance to your business ? No
4) If it's not too intrusive, where do you see your farming business being in 5 years time ? more making do and mending... but to be honest having spoken with members of the family if the figures dont add up even with classic farm creative accounting then that's it.
I just cant get my head around the government wanting us to go down the super high environmental soil standards act and yet do not want to pay us for the use or unuse of our own land? From what i can tell 3 billion is not much in this day and age for us so why not just come away from everything and have a 300acre intensive beef lot over every inch / motocross track/ turf farm? The daft thing is that 3 billion given took farmers is basically spent in the local uk economy, the effects of (doing away with it have consequences that stretch way farther than the farm gate) saying its ok the NZ farmers did away with it and they were fine is totally wrong - they were not at all until china basically "bought" NZ agriculture.
Sorry, gone right off the topic
Have you been invited to be a pilot for the SFI ? no Will you be taking up the invitation ? depends
2) How important are current BPS payments to your business ? VERY VERY VERY its basically the profit for a years hard work.
3) From what you know to date, do you see the SFI as being of relevance to your business ? No
4) If it's not too intrusive, where do you see your farming business being in 5 years time ? more making do and mending... but to be honest having spoken with members of the family if the figures dont add up even with classic farm creative accounting then that's it.
I just cant get my head around the government wanting us to go down the super high environmental soil standards act and yet do not want to pay us for the use or unuse of our own land? From what i can tell 3 billion is not much in this day and age for us so why not just come away from everything and have a 300acre intensive beef lot over every inch / motocross track/ turf farm? The daft thing is that 3 billion given took farmers is basically spent in the local uk economy, the effects of (doing away with it have consequences that stretch way farther than the farm gate) saying its ok the NZ farmers did away with it and they were fine is totally wrong - they were not at all until china basically "bought" NZ agriculture.
Sorry, gone right off the topic
- Location
- south norfolk
What concerns me is where is the money coming from.after COVID the coffers must be empty
nick…
nick…
- Location
- East yorks
I have had too many issues with them over the years. I must say most of the inspectors have been good (apart from one)
Fined for having inspection reports that say there is nothing wrong (they know you won’t complain as it holds up next years bps) so its an easy 2% in their pockets had that twice in bps
Mapping issues, fields that disappear, boundary changes etc I remember when it was sps we had 2 letters from them contradicting each other and they were trying to fine us for both of them and neither was correct as they were basing them on a 1980’s map. I did loose it and say if I bring in a pre Columbus map would they argue the USA didn’t exist.
I just have zero confidence for them to be able to administer a scheme where things aren’t black and white. So I will do a year but I am not having them trying to reclaim money from 4 yrs ago for another of their feck ups
two-cylinder
Member
- Location
- Cambridge
So in other words the landlord is about to get a big reduction in income.
I can see the Landlord wanting more rent to make up some of the shortfall.
- Location
- North West