SFI23 takeup

[tscrope]

DEFRA sent out an update a couple of weeks ago on take-up of SFI23. They say say that over 20,000 farms have now applied (doesn't feel too bad to me - what do people think?) However, the data in the update only covers 13,900 farms who had agreements in place by 1st April. I thought it might be interesting to cross reference these with the new payment rates they announced in Jan. Here are the results (NB I posted this on LinkedIn originally, hence the emojis, sorry - https://www.linkedin.com/feed/update/urn:li:activity:7197306969865486336/ - but interested in what you all make of these figures. I was quite suprised take up was so high to be honest).

Total amount set to be paid out in first year: £299,390,400

2 Most Popular Actions:
Overall, the management and planning payments are easily the most utilised:

MPA1: SFI Management Payment
Agreements: 13,100
Value: £21,440,000
Unsuprisingly the entry level payment of up to £2,000/farm is the most popular. Not quite sure why 800 farms chose not to enter it

SAM1: Assess Soil, Produce a Soil Management Plan and Test Soil Organic Matter
Agreements: 10,200 covering 1,600,000ha
Value: £10,589,400
Nearly ¾ of farms chose this option. This tallies with what the agronomists we work with have been saying, i.e. that it's the most popular of the three 'plans' in SFI23 and most people are doing it.

3 Most Lucrative Actions
While these actions are not among the most popular, their high payment rates make them by far the most financially rewarding (these three actions make up 43% of all SFI23 money given out!)

SAM3: Establish and Maintain Herbal Leys
Agreements: 5,200 covering 175,000ha
Value: £66,850,000
More than a third of all farms are doing this, and it alone is 22% of all SAM1 payments

AHL2: Winter Bird Food on Arable and Horticultural Land
Agreements: 2,300 covering 38,200ha
Value: £32,584,600
The hefty £853/ha payment tempted a lot of farmers, one of the reasons DEFRA then capped the total amount of a farm that could be put into this and 5 other actions which take land out of food production

NUM3: Legume Fallow
Agreements: 1,600 covering 50,700ha
Value: £30,065,100
Again the high payment rate of £593/ha has been a popular option.

Suprising omission - why have AHL1 (600 agreements) and IPM2 (900 agreements) proved less popular despite paying out £700+/ha? They were in fact the 3rd and 5th LEAST popular actions respectively.

Any comments welcome. You can find the full data here: https://www.gov.uk/government/statistics/cs-es-and-sfi-option-uptake-data-2024

 

[onesiedale]

I suppose the update only covers 2023 SFI.
Some of the 2024 options although announced, are not available until later in the year. eg flood plain meadows.
Therefore, this is holding back applications and subsequently holding back the payments.

 

[steveR]

I wonder how successful the HL (SAM3) will turn out in reality based on my experiences on putting them in under a different scheme, as on cold and heavy land, their lifespan is dreadful.

The only one that has vaguely worked for me here, is where I mow the HL around now, then graze sheep lightly on teh aftermath as a set stock mob for a few weeks then off. Might get a flushing bite later. The sheer faff of paddock grazing wore off quickly when the result was not wonderful...

Time will tell...

 

[BenAdamsAgri]

Suprising omission - why have AHL1 (600 agreements) and IPM2 (900 agreements) proved less popular despite paying out £700+/ha? They were in fact the 3rd and 5th LEAST popular actions respectively.

IPM2 is probably the most difficult action to get right and takes years for it to be successful. Payments have not changed much for the option so I guess most people who wanted it already had it in css

 

[Regenerator1]

DEFRA sent out an update a couple of weeks ago on take-up of SFI23. They say say that over 20,000 farms have now applied (doesn't feel too bad to me - what do people think?) However, the data in the update only covers 13,900 farms who had agreements in place by 1st April. I thought it might be interesting to cross reference these with the new payment rates they announced in Jan. Here are the results (NB I posted this on LinkedIn originally, hence the emojis, sorry - https://www.linkedin.com/feed/update/urn:li:activity:7197306969865486336/ - but interested in what you all make of these figures. I was quite suprised take up was so high to be honest).

Total amount set to be paid out in first year: £299,390,400

2 Most Popular Actions:
Overall, the management and planning payments are easily the most utilised:

MPA1: SFI Management Payment
Agreements: 13,100
Value: £21,440,000
Unsuprisingly the entry level payment of up to £2,000/farm is the most popular. Not quite sure why 800 farms chose not to enter it

SAM1: Assess Soil, Produce a Soil Management Plan and Test Soil Organic Matter
Agreements: 10,200 covering 1,600,000ha
Value: £10,589,400
Nearly ¾ of farms chose this option. This tallies with what the agronomists we work with have been saying, i.e. that it's the most popular of the three 'plans' in SFI23 and most people are doing it.

3 Most Lucrative Actions
While these actions are not among the most popular, their high payment rates make them by far the most financially rewarding (these three actions make up 43% of all SFI23 money given out!)

SAM3: Establish and Maintain Herbal Leys
Agreements: 5,200 covering 175,000ha
Value: £66,850,000
More than a third of all farms are doing this, and it alone is 22% of all SAM1 payments

AHL2: Winter Bird Food on Arable and Horticultural Land
Agreements: 2,300 covering 38,200ha
Value: £32,584,600
The hefty £853/ha payment tempted a lot of farmers, one of the reasons DEFRA then capped the total amount of a farm that could be put into this and 5 other actions which take land out of food production

NUM3: Legume Fallow
Agreements: 1,600 covering 50,700ha
Value: £30,065,100
Again the high payment rate of £593/ha has been a popular option.

Suprising omission - why have AHL1 (600 agreements) and IPM2 (900 agreements) proved less popular despite paying out £700+/ha? They were in fact the 3rd and 5th LEAST popular actions respectively.

Any comments welcome. You can find the full data here: https://www.gov.uk/government/statistics/cs-es-and-sfi-option-uptake-data-2024

Not great uptake... compared to commercial farming and without BPS the SFI is very unattractive currently.. once they integrate CS options it is worth having another look but with inflation factored in... not keen..
The weather and bureaucracy risk now far outweighs the old BPS/CS and HLS...
Sad really and dont make me laugh about match funding from the PRIVATE sector...

 

[Regenerator1]

DEFRA sent out an update a couple of weeks ago on take-up of SFI23. They say say that over 20,000 farms have now applied (doesn't feel too bad to me - what do people think?) However, the data in the update only covers 13,900 farms who had agreements in place by 1st April. I thought it might be interesting to cross reference these with the new payment rates they announced in Jan. Here are the results (NB I posted this on LinkedIn originally, hence the emojis, sorry - https://www.linkedin.com/feed/update/urn:li:activity:7197306969865486336/ - but interested in what you all make of these figures. I was quite suprised take up was so high to be honest).

Total amount set to be paid out in first year: £299,390,400

2 Most Popular Actions:
Overall, the management and planning payments are easily the most utilised:

MPA1: SFI Management Payment
Agreements: 13,100
Value: £21,440,000
Unsuprisingly the entry level payment of up to £2,000/farm is the most popular. Not quite sure why 800 farms chose not to enter it

SAM1: Assess Soil, Produce a Soil Management Plan and Test Soil Organic Matter
Agreements: 10,200 covering 1,600,000ha
Value: £10,589,400
Nearly ¾ of farms chose this option. This tallies with what the agronomists we work with have been saying, i.e. that it's the most popular of the three 'plans' in SFI23 and most people are doing it.

3 Most Lucrative Actions
While these actions are not among the most popular, their high payment rates make them by far the most financially rewarding (these three actions make up 43% of all SFI23 money given out!)

SAM3: Establish and Maintain Herbal Leys
Agreements: 5,200 covering 175,000ha
Value: £66,850,000
More than a third of all farms are doing this, and it alone is 22% of all SAM1 payments

AHL2: Winter Bird Food on Arable and Horticultural Land
Agreements: 2,300 covering 38,200ha
Value: £32,584,600
The hefty £853/ha payment tempted a lot of farmers, one of the reasons DEFRA then capped the total amount of a farm that could be put into this and 5 other actions which take land out of food production

NUM3: Legume Fallow
Agreements: 1,600 covering 50,700ha
Value: £30,065,100
Again the high payment rate of £593/ha has been a popular option.

Suprising omission - why have AHL1 (600 agreements) and IPM2 (900 agreements) proved less popular despite paying out £700+/ha? They were in fact the 3rd and 5th LEAST popular actions respectively.

Any comments welcome. You can find the full data here: https://www.gov.uk/government/statistics/cs-es-and-sfi-option-uptake-data-2024

300k for year 1 out of 2.4 billion is very very sad.. a failure infact or was it just a ploy??

 

[Princess Pooper]

I haven't looked into the arable options as we are an all grass farm currently fully stocked. In the past we had some bird seed under CS. Does 'most lucrative' still apply to herbal leys etc when seed and establishment costs are taken into account? We previously had some florally enhanced grassland and I seem remember very high seed costs.

 

[DrWazzock]

Not every option is replacing BPS though is it? Many options like bird seed and arable legume fallow are completely displacing crops so there’s cropping income foregone. When you consider cropping income foregone, SFI is an income similar to cropping without BPS.
So to all intents and purposes we’ve lost BPS and it hasnt been replaced across the board. Some folk have stopped cropping and are claiming SFI instead, not on top.
The one big option where you can have your cake and eat it would seem to be grassland herbal leys. They are better than birdseed because you’ve still got your livestock sales as well from the land in that option, as opposed to birdseed where you don’t have a crop to sell off that land. Big big difference.

 

[Hammer]

300k for year 1 out of 2.4 billion is very very sad.. a failure infact or was it just a ploy??

Doesn’t it say nearly 300 million?

 

[Regenerator1]

Doesn’t it say nearly 300 million?

Yes but you can "spin" numbers to read which ever way you want well spotted

 

[gloria1]

Changing the % of land allowed in 6 options, after raising the rates days before to attract new entrants,demonstrates strange management, DEFRA feel they can change the rules at will,despite having agreements in place.Farmers need certainty and reliability in their agreements and these option changes sadly entered a level of mistrust going forward,inevitably impacting future agreements.

 

[Chris F]

I suppose the update only covers 2023 SFI.
Some of the 2024 options although announced, are not available until later in the year. eg flood plain meadows.
Therefore, this is holding back applications and subsequently holding back the payments.

There are more details coming out today. Press Release has gone live:

Expanded and improved Sustainable Farming Incentive offer for farmers published

Expanded Sustainable Farming Incentive offer from July will give the sector a clear path forward and boost farm business resilience. From: Department for Environment, Food & Rural Affairs and The Rt Hon Sir Mark Spencer MP Published21 May 2024 Full details of the expanded and improved...

thefarmingforum.co.uk

With more details this afternoon on 2024 (I have just been told)

 

[warksfarmer]

DEFRA sent out an update a couple of weeks ago on take-up of SFI23. They say say that over 20,000 farms have now applied (doesn't feel too bad to me - what do people think?) However, the data in the update only covers 13,900 farms who had agreements in place by 1st April. I thought it might be interesting to cross reference these with the new payment rates they announced in Jan. Here are the results (NB I posted this on LinkedIn originally, hence the emojis, sorry - https://www.linkedin.com/feed/update/urn:li:activity:7197306969865486336/ - but interested in what you all make of these figures. I was quite suprised take up was so high to be honest).

Total amount set to be paid out in first year: £299,390,400

2 Most Popular Actions:
Overall, the management and planning payments are easily the most utilised:

MPA1: SFI Management Payment
Agreements: 13,100
Value: £21,440,000
Unsuprisingly the entry level payment of up to £2,000/farm is the most popular. Not quite sure why 800 farms chose not to enter it

SAM1: Assess Soil, Produce a Soil Management Plan and Test Soil Organic Matter
Agreements: 10,200 covering 1,600,000ha
Value: £10,589,400
Nearly ¾ of farms chose this option. This tallies with what the agronomists we work with have been saying, i.e. that it's the most popular of the three 'plans' in SFI23 and most people are doing it.

3 Most Lucrative Actions
While these actions are not among the most popular, their high payment rates make them by far the most financially rewarding (these three actions make up 43% of all SFI23 money given out!)

SAM3: Establish and Maintain Herbal Leys
Agreements: 5,200 covering 175,000ha
Value: £66,850,000
More than a third of all farms are doing this, and it alone is 22% of all SAM1 payments

AHL2: Winter Bird Food on Arable and Horticultural Land
Agreements: 2,300 covering 38,200ha
Value: £32,584,600
The hefty £853/ha payment tempted a lot of farmers, one of the reasons DEFRA then capped the total amount of a farm that could be put into this and 5 other actions which take land out of food production

NUM3: Legume Fallow
Agreements: 1,600 covering 50,700ha
Value: £30,065,100
Again the high payment rate of £593/ha has been a popular option.

Suprising omission - why have AHL1 (600 agreements) and IPM2 (900 agreements) proved less popular despite paying out £700+/ha? They were in fact the 3rd and 5th LEAST popular actions respectively.

Any comments welcome. You can find the full data here: https://www.gov.uk/government/statistics/cs-es-and-sfi-option-uptake-data-2024

Interpretation of the rules has driven decisions.

 

[farmerm]

Not every option is replacing BPS though is it? Many options like bird seed and arable legume fallow are completely displacing crops so there’s cropping income foregone. When you consider cropping income foregone, SFI is an income similar to cropping without BPS.
So to all intents and purposes we’ve lost BPS and it hasnt been replaced across the board. Some folk have stopped cropping and are claiming SFI instead, not on top.
The one big option where you can have your cake and eat it would seem to be grassland herbal leys. They are better than birdseed because you’ve still got your livestock sales as well from the land in that option, as opposed to birdseed where you don’t have a crop to sell off that land. Big big difference.

Anyone who thought SFI was a BPS replacement should give their head a wobble, it is and always was a CSS replacement. Brexit was always going to result in us having to somehow adapt to farming without subsidy. Some will, some will fold.

 

[warksfarmer]

Anyone who thought SFI was a BPS replacement should give their head a wobble, it is and always was a CSS replacement. Brexit was always going to result in us having to somehow adapt to farming without subsidy. Some will, some will fold.

I disagree. If you choose the options carefully you can make more than SFP with a small alteration to cropping. BUT this is only since they increased the payment rates. Had they not done that, then it would of totally failed.

 

[Regenerator1]

There are more details coming out today. Press Release has gone live:

Expanded and improved Sustainable Farming Incentive offer for farmers published

Expanded Sustainable Farming Incentive offer from July will give the sector a clear path forward and boost farm business resilience. From: Department for Environment, Food & Rural Affairs and The Rt Hon Sir Mark Spencer MP Published21 May 2024 Full details of the expanded and improved...

thefarmingforum.co.uk

With more details this afternoon on 2024 (I have just been told)

Looks like May 21st 2024 is the start of "Summer" finally

 

[farmerm]

I disagree. If you choose the options carefully you can make more than SFP with a small alteration to cropping. BUT this is only since they increased the payment rates. Had they not done that, then it would of totally failed.

It is possible, but it comes at the expensive of those who are either unwilling or unable to choose or implement such options.

 

[tscrope]

All the new options have just been published: https://www.gov.uk/find-funding-for-land-or-farms

There are more details coming out today. Press Release has gone live:

Expanded and improved Sustainable Farming Incentive offer for farmers published

Expanded Sustainable Farming Incentive offer from July will give the sector a clear path forward and boost farm business resilience. From: Department for Environment, Food & Rural Affairs and The Rt Hon Sir Mark Spencer MP Published21 May 2024 Full details of the expanded and improved...

thefarmingforum.co.uk

With more details this afternoon on 2024 (I have just been told)

 

[Regenerator1]

Another document due to be released later today about how to leave existing badly paid Old EU schemes and join SFI without penalty?? I guess not??

 

[Regenerator1]

The latest SFI 24 looks workable but not whilst stuck in old legacy schemes