Sustainable Farming Incentive: how the scheme will work in 2022

Sustainable farming incentive details published today 2 December 2021

Status
Not open for further replies.

Humble Village Farmer

Member
BASE UK Member
Location
Essex
@Humble Village Farmer I am interested in your calculations that the published SFI payment rates are in any way competitive leave alone not very, when compared with commercial farming particularly on an all grass farm. How much per hectare would it be worth to you to hand over substantial elements of the management of your land to the civil service?
Well I agree with you and actually on the arable it's at least as bad. I have been in HLS for 10 years and I have finally got the hang of fitting stuff into my system to make it work for me and still get paid for what is basically a low risk low reward crop.

It helps with some of the peaks at busy times but makes the overheads higher on the land you farm properly.

On balance I will probably carry on though, because although it's questionable economically, I don't mind doing my bit for the environment.
 
We're not gathering the data from the tests and have no intention of using it in that way.

Yes, there are measurable outcomes from winter cover, organic matter and green cover. Also, assuming by 2028 the soil standards cover 50% to 70% of eligible agricultural soil in England, this could save approximately 330 to 460 thousand tonnes of CO2 equivalent in 2028.


I'd interested to see that quantified. Where is the science demonstrating exactly what you are saying comparing to todays agricultural practices ?

I'd point out that farmers have been putting organic material and sequestering CO2 for decades - most pertinantly since the stubble burning ban and minimum cultivation. Farmers also take waste from "Bio Solids" and "Compost" - both containing tonnes of Carbon into agricultural soils.

I'd also point out that the ban on spreading organic manure by the "Environment Agency" is likely to significantly DECREASE organic matter in soils AND increase the use of manufactured fertiliser AND increase the use of concrete to create holding lagoons AND increase the likelihood of a major farm pollution incident.
 

Stw88

Member
Location
Northumberland
This gradual cross over is a car crash waiting to happen. Would be far better getting the new schemes finalised and ready to roll giving farmers time to structure there business and prepare for the change. Then in say 2023/24 no more sfp and streight into the new system done and dusted. Its hard to plan ahead when you don’t know what’s coming. I really could do with another new cattle shed up but I’m not spending 150+k when we might not even have the stock to fill it once the new rules come out. Or maby I should put it up and up the cattle numbers ready for maximum production after 2027 and stick two fingers up to being dictated to.
 

onesiedale

Member
Livestock Farmer
Location
Derbyshire
We will be introducing a standard for low and no input grassland, along with other standards covering a range of other things, between now and 2025 - for now we continue to have options in CS, and we'll be publishing updated payment rates for those in the new year.
@Janet Hughes Defra
thankyou for the response. However, I am struggling to see why DEFRA are so reluctant to act quicker on rewarding Permanent Pasture.
You have a wide open goal there that can score big results immediately for farmers, the environment and, more importantly, your own costs of administration. Why do you fail to take advantage of it?
You are running a very risky policy at the moment because land managers are sceptical about DEFRAs proposals. Permanent Pasture is the one landscape feature that will disappear in the interim years of indecision and "jam tomorrow".
As that PP disappears so do the ecosystems that are supported by it. The open goal could turn out to be a disastrous own goal.

I ask that you seriously reconsider your ambitions for PP. Act now, value it now and it will repay you financially, ecologically and in genuine support from farmers.
 

Against_the_grain

Member
Arable Farmer
Location
S.E
I must be missing something here. £22/ha even £40/ha is going to get swallowed up rather quickly. Applying om to 1/3rd of our land every year!? Thats over 150Ha! Where on earth am I going to find that sort of product...oh and then the cost...Instead I plant a green cover but then I'm losing financially because I'm having to grow more spring crops. Seems to me all these payments will do is go someway to paying for the hoops that are set out for us. I genuinely cant see how i will financially be better off from being in the sfi. I must be missing something but it looks like a very easy decision to say no thanks?
 

redsloe

Member
Location
Cornwall
I must be missing something here. £22/ha even £40/ha is going to get swallowed up rather quickly. Applying om to 1/3rd of our land every year!? Thats over 150Ha! Where on earth am I going to find that sort of product...oh and then the cost...Instead I plant a green cover but then I'm losing financially because I'm having to grow more spring crops. Seems to me all these payments will do is go someway to paying for the hoops that are set out for us. I genuinely cant see how i will financially be better off from being in the sfi. I must be missing something but it looks like a very easy decision to say no thanks?
Chopping straw qualifies as om.
Establish Green cover required only on 20% of total area in the sfi, the rest can be in winter cereals
 

Humble Village Farmer

Member
BASE UK Member
Location
Essex
Yeah, I understood your initial posts, the SFI payment isn't related to the results, got that.
My point was that I see no public good in making farmers spend time and money on testing their som in order to receive that payment.
But the government thinks there is some value in this, so they are funding it. I suspect they hope farmers will be interested in the results.
 

Goweresque

Member
Location
North Wilts
I bet our lord and master here on TFF is behind this soils standard being the first one that is rolled out, no coincidence that it fits his farming methods perfectly.........what it is to have friends in high places. £58/ha over a few 1000 acres should pay for another sports car I expect. The direct drilling god giveth CO2 savings, and the Porsche Owners club taketh them away again........ I fully expect the next SFI standard to be a special annual payment for all Fendt owners, based on the amount of fuel they create from unicorn farts. If the final one is a payment for anyone who isn't a member of the NFU we'll definitely know who has been writing the SFI rule book :whistle: :whistle:
 

B'o'B

Member
Arable Farmer
Location
Rutland
I bet our lord and master here on TFF is behind this soils standard being the first one that is rolled out, no coincidence that it fits his farming methods perfectly.........what it is to have friends in high places. £58/ha over a few 1000 acres should pay for another sports car I expect. The direct drilling god giveth CO2 savings, and the Porsche Owners club taketh them away again........ I fully expect the next SFI standard to be a special annual payment for all Fendt owners, based on the amount of fuel they create from unicorn farts. If the final one is a payment for anyone who isn't a member of the NFU we'll definitely know who has been writing the SFI rule book :whistle: :whistle:
You're out of date the new payment rate is only £40/Ha.
 

delilah

Member
I bet our lord and master here on TFF is behind this soils standard being the first one that is rolled out, no coincidence that it fits his farming methods perfectly.........what it is to have friends in high places. £58/ha over a few 1000 acres should pay for another sports car I expect. The direct drilling god giveth CO2 savings, and the Porsche Owners club taketh them away again........ I fully expect the next SFI standard to be a special annual payment for all Fendt owners, based on the amount of fuel they create from unicorn farts. If the final one is a payment for anyone who isn't a member of the NFU we'll definitely know who has been writing the SFI rule book :whistle: :whistle:

Aren't the new standards moving away from the DD sub ? My reading of it is that those who were working hard behind the scenes to achieve this have been sussed ?
 
Status
Not open for further replies.

SFI - What % were you taking out of production?

  • 0 %

    Votes: 77 43.5%
  • Up to 25%

    Votes: 62 35.0%
  • 25-50%

    Votes: 28 15.8%
  • 50-75%

    Votes: 3 1.7%
  • 75-100%

    Votes: 3 1.7%
  • 100% I’ve had enough of farming!

    Votes: 4 2.3%

Red Tractor drops launch of green farming scheme amid anger from farmers

  • 1,286
  • 1
As reported in Independent


quote: “Red Tractor has confirmed it is dropping plans to launch its green farming assurance standard in April“

read the TFF thread here: https://thefarmingforum.co.uk/index.php?threads/gfc-was-to-go-ahead-now-not-going-ahead.405234/
Top