New limits to SFI.

[serf]

barsteward telecom

That's being polite , in contract that didn't even sign up to till September then they can fek right off

 

[Huno]

I feel really bad now for putting the whole farm in. But the reality is I have to late drill. Got caught out with the autumn’s storms. Got to middle of feb and looked at SFI at with barley prices around £135 for harvest movement. With last year getting 2.5 per acre. I suppose I’ll be the bad boy for ruining it all.

Fair comment.. nobody will be doing that tmrw morning.. Tues 25th March 2024..

 

[topground]

It doesn't take an educated person to realise that the SFI pot was never big enough. Can't say I've ever trusted them, certainly not to make a business plan around. However, there are plenty of other parts of SFI with similar payments and better for farming that could cater for those budgeting on sfi.

Did they actually listen to food producers who took part in the pilot. In my experience they didn’t listen to those of us on the hedgerow pilot.
Anyone else care to comment on their experience as a pilot participant?

 

[Green oak]

Don't feel bad it will be good news for twitchers and any endangered
birds on the east of England.

I’m starting a farm walk photography business. With a professional photographer on the back of SFI.

 

[texelburger]

At least arable legume fallow isn’t on the list. Max out on it. Presumably they don’t think it reduces production even though it will halve my wheat output.

I believe they originally said that the increase in soil health and organic matter as a result of SFI options would increase yields by around 10 %.I can't remember who said it unfortunately. It did make me chuckle how they thought taking land out of production would increase production.

 

[steveR]

Anyone else had an email from DEFRA, asking for views on ELMS/SFI recently. Filled mine in before reading this news...

Quite pleased that I made a great point of not being able to trust the Govt or the management of the schemes...

 

[GeorgeK]

They can see the budget will be blown. The 'protecting food production' line is a smokescreen, the new 'maximum percentage of currently productive land' clause exists purely to exempt the RSPB and The National Trust from this action.

If they wanted to keep land producing they wouldn't pay the RSPB to block land drains and turn productive land into swamp. They wouldn't pay the National Trust to kick farmers off their land and rewild it.

 

[lloyd]

I’m starting a farm walk photography business. With a professional photographer on the back of SFI.

Oh you're even gathering the evidence yourself.
i'm only joking i sincerely hope you find more enjoyment out of this new direction.

 

[Steevo]

Steevo, do you really expect they thought that far forward?

I’m sure they didn’t.

But if they had been doing their job properly…..they ought to have done.

Many farmers have pointed it out to them.
They did a pilot.

No excuses in my book.

 

[steveR]

Lawsuits if they make options available to some and not others?

The idiots only had 1 finite metric, their budget.
They gave themselves no means of controlling the value of claims OR amount claimed.
It's sheer incompetence.

I hope EFRA calls them out PDQ....

Email from the BFU to the Chairman asking that teh Committee looks into this farcial situation.??

 

[Huno]

Anyone else had and email from DEFRA, asking for views on ELMS/SFI recently. Filled mine in before reading this news...

Quite pleased that I made a great point of not being able to trust the Govt or the management of the schemes...

Agreed!!

 

[L P]

Did they actually listen to food producers who took part in the pilot. In my experience they didn’t listen to those of us on the hedgerow pilot.
Anyone else care to comment on their experience as a pilot participant?

I've no idea, I wasn't in it, @Clive was pretty involved I believe?

 

[DrWazzock]

The more the State gets involved, the bigger the hole it digs.

 

[Green oak]

Oh you're even gathering the evidence yourself.
i'm only joking i sincerely hope you find more enjoyment out of this new direction.

Will be a nice direction for the farm to go in. Straight out of school on the farm. Took over the running at 27. 47 now and quite frankly the crap we have to deal with has got me to the point of Ive had enough. SFI will give a recharge and go again.

 

[texelburger]

Defra says the six actions “were always intended to be implemented on smaller areas of the farm – something the new measures will protect”. The rest of the SFI actions will remain uncapped

If the actions were always intended to be implemented on smaller areas of the farm then why the fu#k didn't they tell us in the beginning. Utterly shambolic ,they're making it up as they go along.

It could of all been done in a simple,straightforward easy to follow manner but that is not DEFRA's way.

 

[DrWazzock]

There’s just no intelligence involved. If I’d a 40 acre farm it might well make sense to put 100% of it into pollinator mix. If I’ve a 4000 acre estate on prime wheat growing land then really I ought to be putting none of it into SFI. This arbitrary 25% figure is a nonsense really, an incredibly blunt instrument and just shows up the folly of trying to design a complex one size fits all detailed scheme. BPS allowed the farmer to do what he knew was best. £80/acre was set about right to stop production on marginal land but carry on on 4t per acre wheat land. It worked so they had to screw it up. They didn’t listen.

 

[lloyd]

This sfi seems to me just a way to appease certain groups
not wanting to admit that mixed livestock/arable
is the most sustainable approach because it would involve
admitting animals play an important role .

 

[Steevo]

There’s just no intelligence involved. If I’d a 40 acre farm it might well make sense to put 100% of it into pollinator mix. If I’ve a 4000 acre estate on prime wheat growing land then really I ought to be putting none of it into SFI. This arbitrary 25% figure is a nonsense really, an incredibly blunt instrument and just shows up the folly of trying to design a complex one size fits all detailed scheme. BPS allowed the farmer to do what he knew was best. £80/acre was set about right to stop production on marginal land but carry on on 4t per acre wheat land. It worked so they had to screw it up. They didn’t listen.

Precisely.

 

[Hindsight]

They're in panic mode because Sainsburys have pointed out they aren't going to have much food to sell, so DEFRA now realise food is a public good after all, but still don't want to pay for it.

Instead of paying for the food public good, they're capping the SFI enviro options to get the FREE food public good.

Well the CEO of TESCO and the other Major Retailers has a bit f a chat with the Minister along with the BRC and AIC and sorted out this new SFI set aside wheeze. Now just a case of sorting out the GFC which seems to have taken a tumble. Probably wait until after the Easter break to get that back on the road!

 

[DanW]

So is it a maximum of 25% of all those options combined or 25% of the land in each, ohhh and RPA sight unreachable tonight ???!!!