Have you or do you know anyone who has been unsuccessful with a Mid-Tier application? Have you had a FG2 grant?

[farmerm]

Mid tier is supposedly competitive and scored on various criteria including value for money. I am considering a considerable a fencing capital grant, equivalent in size to my total 5 year payment, this will surely dilute my points per pound value of my application... I am just wondering just how competitive the scheme really is? Secondly if my FG2 grant is accepted but I don't get it all done can I claim less than I applied without jeopardizing the whole claim or the whole agreement? Thirdly does the rather vague "to protect environmental features" requirement mean the grant can be used to fence adjacent to any hedge line or ditch?

 

[B'o'B]

Mid tier is supposedly competitive and scored on various criteria including value for money. I am considering a considerable a fencing capital grant, equivalent in size to my total 5 year payment, this will surely dilute my points per pound value of my application... I am just wondering just how competitive the scheme really is? Secondly if my FG2 grant is accepted but I don't get it all done can I claim less than I applied without jeopardizing the whole claim or the whole agreement? Thirdly does the rather vague "to protect environmental features" requirement mean the grant can be used to fence adjacent to any hedge line or ditch?

It's supposed to be competitive, but there hasn't been enough uptake in any year yet to make it competitive. This year may be different, who knows? I haven't asked around to see how much uptake advisers think there might be this time, I think the simplified schemes come out of the same money pot (but not completely sure) and they aren't compensative, they have also made to options better for those this year I believe so could be an issue.

 

[yellow belly]

Up to now it has been under subscribed the agents I used have never had one turned down
this is likely to continue as next year the bps is being reduced the money retained is to be used in stewardship /elms and productivity grants
there are also expiring hls and els schemes that release money back into the system
They are trying everything they can to give the money out other than makeing the system easy to use and operate

 

[Mark C]

Go for it and don't be shy. It won't be there forever.

 

[Farmers Daughter]

Mid tier is supposedly a competitive scheme, but up until now, it’s been under subscribed, and they have never scored applications. Those that have not been accepted, usually lacked evidence or were invalid for whatever reason. This year uptake does seem to be higher, but as CSFOs are not visiting due to COVID, that is causing a few problems. So who knows in practise how many applications will actually be submitted, certainly not as many as applied for packs.

Environmental features include hedges, streams certainly and ditches I believe as per the manual. I.e. You can’t put a new fence across a field with no hedges, but you can fence against a hedge (don’t attach the fence to the hedge) to protect it from sheep etc...

With capital works if you don’t do it all, you just claim for what you do and it does not jeopardise the agreement. You probably will have to tell them you’re not claiming for x metres at the end of the 2 years. You only have the first 2 years of the agreement to do the capital works, the options remain on the land for the full 5 years. You need to ensure you do all the options and retain the acreages for the full 5 years etc...

Certainly submit it and see what happens, make the most of the funding that’s available. There is no formula for X options = X capital works unfortunately, but as it’s been undersubscribed historically applicants have been able to get a lot of capital works for minimal options. This year, as with everything who knows! Best of luck.

 

[farmerm]

Can anyone clarify how you declare rotational options on Anx2? Say I want 1.5ha of legume fallow which will be on 1 field for 2 years and then be rotated and split over 2 other fields later in the scheme. I presume I only put the year 1 location on the application else I would be declaring 3ha?

 

[B'o'B]

Can anyone clarify how you declare rotational options on Anx2? Say I want 1.5ha of legume fallow which will be on 1 field for 2 years and then be rotated and split over 2 other fields later in the scheme. I presume I only put the year 1 location on the application else I would be declaring 3ha?

Yes just the first year location.

 

[farmerm]

Go to question 5....

hmmm. surely if you are not a tenant ticking yes is wrong and not ticking yes is wrong ??