Moving from CS agreement to SFI .

[YorkshireAndrew]

It’s been briefly discussed on various SFI threads but has anyone been able to make any headway with RPA about transferring options from a CS agreement to SFI ?

 

[T Hectares]

It’s been briefly discussed on various SFI threads but has anyone been able to make any headway with RPA about transferring options from a CS agreement to SFI ?

I had a conversation with some agents last week who said that in their experience it was difficult, RPA wanted to see a significant increase in the scheme to consider it

 

[YorkshireAndrew]

I had a conversation with some agents last week who said that in their experience it was difficult, RPA wanted to see a significant increase in the scheme to consider it

My conversation with RPA boiled down to them not being able to interpret the rules at present regarding leaving CS for SFI , I’m waiting for an email from them once they’ve figured this out .

 

[organicguy]

My conversation last year before extending a CS was that it would be easy as long as the SFI was equivalent.

 

[JoeBloggs30]

Its typical RPA DEFRA, Janet Hughes etc have been going round saying yes you can end and switch its all in the T&C's but when you enquire the RPA just go away and hide from it because they haven't actually worked out how to do it! Now woudl be logical to allow closing and switching as its CS year end!

 

[spin cycle]

I was told point blank I could switch to sfi if I liked before I signed new agreement two years ago

 

[Andy26]

I was told point blank I could switch to sfi if I liked before I signed new agreement two years ago

So was I, but I cannot setup an equivalent SFI as CS options block using SFI options even when CS options long expired and back in farm rotation.

 

[nonemouse]

I was told back in January (when I was given 4 weeks to decide if I wanted an extension to our HLS scheme) that I could cancel it before end of august if I wanted to transfer to SFI. The problem was at end of august we still had no idea of what was going to be in the SFI

 

[spin cycle]

So was I, but I cannot setup an equivalent SFI as CS options block using SFI options even when CS options long expired and back in farm rotation.

that's a blow....I was hoping to let options expire on a coupla fields then put them into sfi

technical problems/incompetance/ moving goal posts?...
who fekkin knows

absolute betrayal

bet @Janet Hughes Defra is long gone

 

[Vader]

I talked to rpa yesterday. Said I wanted to switch a Cs agreement to sfi as sfi not viable as a package without certain options that Cs stop me getting.

Was told to email in asking if I would get a penalty if I quit Cs early to join sfi.
Person on phone says would not expect a penalty. But we shall see.
Waiting on reply.
Wll update when I get it

 

[benny6910]

I spoke to my agent and he said that it isn’t open yet to swap cs to sfi as I want to swap a cs fallow option to sfi legume fallow. I am going in on Monday to put my sfi application in so I’ll ask again.

 

[barnfield]

Was also told could switch at time of starting my CS it even seemed to be written in black and white. I drew up an SFI scheme but needed to stop part of my CS to activate it. They said no problems email to get approval. Did that last month, no reply, chased last week, just got this reply....

Thank you for your email date xxx. Apologies for the lack of satisfactory response for your original query. This is because there is yet to be a final decision about the specific details of customers ending part or all of their Countryside Agreements to enter into SFI agreements. I know this must be frustrating, it is also the case for lots of other agreement holders wanting to do the same thing.

 

[Grass And Grain]

I talked to rpa yesterday. Said I wanted to switch a Cs agreement to sfi as sfi not viable as a package without certain options that Cs stop me getting.

Was told to email in asking if I would get a penalty if I quit Cs early to join sfi.
Person on phone says would not expect a penalty. But we shall see.
Waiting on reply.
Wll update when I get it

I asked them in July, and this was the response.....

"Thank you for your email dated 2 July 2023 about applying for SFI. We apologise for the time it has taken us to respond and thank you for your patience.

You can apply for a SFI agreement and request an early closure of your CS agreement without penalty or recoveries being applied. You will need to log into your Rural Payments account to do this."

 

[Vader]

I asked them in July, and this was the response.....

"Thank you for your email dated 2 July 2023 about applying for SFI. We apologise for the time it has taken us to respond and thank you for your patience.

You can apply for a SFI agreement and request an early closure of your CS agreement without penalty or recoveries being applied. You will need to log into your Rural Payments account to do this."

I would like to go on that, but 5 months later, who knows with RPA!!

 

[Grass And Grain]

I would like to go on that, but 5 months later, who knows with RPA!!

Who knows if the word of one customer advisor stands. When it comes to it, they may want to go back on their word.

 

[Hindsight]

I asked them in July, and this was the response.....

"Thank you for your email dated 2 July 2023 about applying for SFI. We apologise for the time it has taken us to respond and thank you for your patience.

You can apply for a SFI agreement and request an early closure of your CS agreement without penalty or recoveries being applied. You will need to log into your Rural Payments account to do this."

I would like to go on that, but 5 months later, who knows with RPA!!

Having logged into your Rural Payments account did she say what to do!? I have not seen any links to cancel a CS agreement.

 

[Pan mixer]

I have 2 CS agreements on different bits of the farm, they started and end a year apart.

Some of the sfi options would work with my CS options but when the CS ends I will then want to put in some of those options to SFI - like hedges for example, then the SFI agreements will have staggered endings too.

This is all deep joy of course but there has already been a serious subsidy reduction here and a bad harvest, it would be nice to have some income from somewhere.

 

[Grass And Grain]

Having logged into your Rural Payments account did she say what to do!? I have not seen any links to cancel a CS agreement.

Sorry can't help. I was intending swapping out of CS into SFI early Autumn 23, but seen as thought DEFRA messed about and delayed SFI launch, I decided the start date would be too late for me. Hence I didn't get any further with it.

Guessing it might need some sort of case officer to agree the CS to SFI change? Don't know if they'd let me swap part way through the year? Or make me keep in CS until a year end of 31st Dec (even if that wasn't the agreement end date).

 

[Vader]

Having logged into your Rural Payments account did she say what to do!? I have not seen any links to cancel a CS agreement.

Not sure how. Just bloke on phone said email in to ask if can end Cs early with no penalty.

 

[TomO]

I was told on the helpline about a week ago that i needed to email in saying i wanted to swap over from cs to sfi and they would unlock the sfi on my land parcels so i could do a application. When applied they would check that the sfi was of greater benefit, which he said was if the total was more money. If it was they would cancel my cs and let the sfi application carry on. Thats what i was told but i haven’t started to try and do anything about it yet, so dont know if its right…