Sustainable Farming Incentive is open for applications June 2022

[Janet Hughes Defra]

Good afternoon all,

I wanted to let you know that we've opened the Sustainable Farming Incentive for applications today.

You can find a summary of what's available in this initial rollout here: https://www.gov.uk/guidance/a-summary-of-the-sfi-in-2022 - we'll be expanding the scheme to cover more actions over the next 3 years.

You can find information on how to apply here: https://www.gov.uk/guidance/how-to-...-standards-agreement-on-land-outside-a-common

We've designed the service to be as straightforward and fast as possible for farmers. It includes some new functionality to enable us to simplify the application process for farmers and process your applications faster. We're rolling that out in a careful, controlled way over the next few weeks, so that we can make sure we're able to give everyone the right level of service and support. So from today if you're in CS or ES, or farming on a common, you'll need to contact RPA who will support you to apply. If you're a BPS claimant and don't have any other agreements in place, you can apply directly online through the rural payments service from today (we've already had our first completed application, in fact).

I'll be online to answer any questions about the overall scheme and policy, as ever, but if it's about something specific to your farm or application I'll recommend you contact RPA by phone or email: 03000 200 301 [email protected]

 

[delilah]

Got a definition of 'over winter' ?

Flippin' joke.

 

[Mark Hatton]

Got a definition of 'over winter' ?

Sustainable Farming Incentive guidance

What farmers need to know to get paid under the Sustainable Farming Incentive (SFI) and how to apply for this funding.

www.gov.uk

When to do it​

Each year of your SFI standards agreement, you must have a well-established green cover (and multi-species cover crops at intermediate level) by the start of December.

You must keep the green cover (and multi-species cover crops) until the end of February. After this, you can destroy the winter cover if you choose, being careful to minimise risks such as compaction, poaching, soil runoff or erosion.

Where conditions allow, you may destroy the winter cover before the end of February to establish an early-sown spring crop. You must not do this more than 6 weeks before you establish that spring crop.

 

[B'o'B]

Sustainable Farming Incentive guidance

What farmers need to know to get paid under the Sustainable Farming Incentive (SFI) and how to apply for this funding.

www.gov.uk

When to do it​

Each year of your SFI standards agreement, you must have a well-established green cover (and multi-species cover crops at intermediate level) by the start of December.

You must keep the green cover (and multi-species cover crops) until the end of February. After this, you can destroy the winter cover if you choose, being careful to minimise risks such as compaction, poaching, soil runoff or erosion.

Where conditions allow, you may destroy the winter cover before the end of February to establish an early-sown spring crop. You must not do this more than 6 weeks before you establish that spring crop.

to be fair to @delilah the grass land one is silent on it regarding the requirement to not have more the 5% bare soil over winter.

 

[delilah]

Sustainable Farming Incentive guidance

What farmers need to know to get paid under the Sustainable Farming Incentive (SFI) and how to apply for this funding.

www.gov.uk

When to do it​

Each year of your SFI standards agreement, you must have a well-established green cover (and multi-species cover crops at intermediate level) by the start of December.

You must keep the green cover (and multi-species cover crops) until the end of February. After this, you can destroy the winter cover if you choose, being careful to minimise risks such as compaction, poaching, soil runoff or erosion.

Where conditions allow, you may destroy the winter cover before the end of February to establish an early-sown spring crop. You must not do this more than 6 weeks before you establish that spring crop.

Yes I read that. Which doesn't answer the question, because elsewhere it refers to 'x% cover over winter'.
If it was x% cover on 1 Dec, it would have said x% cover on 1 Dec. It doesn't.

Flippin' joke.

 

[B'o'B]

Yes I read that. Which doesn't answer the question, because elsewhere it refers to 'x% cover over winter'.
If it was x% cover on 1 Dec, it would have said x% cover on 1 Dec. It doesn't.

Flippin' joke.

It say x cover by Dec and to be retained until end of Feb unless establishing an early spring crop. I think that makes it quite clear what is required for arable soils.

 

[delilah]

It say x cover by Dec and to be retained until end of Feb unless establishing an early spring crop. I think that makes it quite clear what is required for arable soils.

For the intermediate level, over winter you must have well-established:

• green cover on at least 50% of the land entered into this level of the standard

For the introductory level, over winter you must have a well-established green cover on at least 70% of the land entered into this level of the standard.


Where does it tie x% to a date ? Apologies if I have missed it.

 

[onesiedale]

why must I rip up my PP to replace it with herbal leys to achieve a higher level of achievement?

 

[B'o'B]

For the intermediate level, over winter you must have well-established:

• green cover on at least 50% of the land entered into this level of the standard

For the introductory level, over winter you must have a well-established green cover on at least 70% of the land entered into this level of the standard.


Where does it tie x% to a date ? Apologies if I have missed it.

In the section @Mark Hatton posted.

 

[delilah]

why must I rip up my PP to replace it with herbal leys to achieve a higher level of achievement?

Because they haven't listened, that's why.

 

[delilah]

In the section @Mark Hatton posted.

We must be reading different versions.

 

[onesiedale]

Because they haven't listened, that's why.

The irony is that herbal leys are more suited to an arable rotation than grassland.
So why are they in the grassland standards @Janet Hughes Defra ?

 

[Princess Pooper]

why must I rip up my PP to replace it with herbal leys to achieve a higher level of achievement?

I made that point to them as part of my feedback. Especially as some of our PP is species rich and full of 'herbs'.

 

[onesiedale]

I made that point to them as part of my feedback. Especially as some of our PP is species rich and full of 'herbs'.

and do you think they listened to your feedback?

 

[Vader]

why must I rip up my PP to replace it with herbal leys to achieve a higher level of achievement?

Our Pp to steep to drill, thats why its pp.
So rules out that option

 

[Janet Hughes Defra]

why must I rip up my PP to replace it with herbal leys to achieve a higher level of achievement?

You don't, there is nothing to say you have to do that (you can oversow or stitch the ley into existing PP if you prefer). But you also don't have to enter into the standard or that particular level of ambition if you don't want to do that - there will be more payments relevant to PP in future years, and plenty of options in local nature recovery as well. The idea is that you choose the combination of actions that works for you and your farm.

 

[Janet Hughes Defra]

The irony is that herbal leys are more suited to an arable rotation than grassland.
So why are they in the grassland standards @Janet Hughes Defra ?

Because it is beneficial to soil health - the standards are entirely optional though, and there will be plenty more options for you to choose from as we expand SFI and roll out local nature recovery if you don't want to enter into this standard or level of ambition

 

[onesiedale]

but what I don't understand is why you view PP as less beneficial to soil health than herbal leys.
There is no evidence to suggest that herbal leys are better than a PP with lots of species in.

 

[Jackov Altraids]

Good afternoon all,

I wanted to let you know that we've opened the Sustainable Farming Incentive for applications today.

You can find a summary of what's available in this initial rollout here: https://www.gov.uk/guidance/a-summary-of-the-sfi-in-2022 - we'll be expanding the scheme to cover more actions over the next 3 years.

You can find information on how to apply here: https://www.gov.uk/guidance/how-to-...-standards-agreement-on-land-outside-a-common

We've designed the service to be as straightforward and fast as possible for farmers. It includes some new functionality to enable us to simplify the application process for farmers and process your applications faster. We're rolling that out in a careful, controlled way over the next few weeks, so that we can make sure we're able to give everyone the right level of service and support. So from today if you're in CS or ES, or farming on a common, you'll need to contact RPA who will support you to apply. If you're a BPS claimant and don't have any other agreements in place, you can apply directly online through the rural payments service from today (we've already had our first completed application, in fact).

I'll be online to answer any questions about the overall scheme and policy, as ever, but if it's about something specific to your farm or application I'll recommend you contact RPA by phone or email: 03000 200 301 [email protected]

Thanks for improving the T & C's.

6.4 When we may change your Agreement​

(a) We will not usually seek to vary your Agreement during the Agreement Period (in a way not referred to elsewhere in these Terms and Conditions).

(b) However, it is possible we may offer you an Agreement upgrade during the Agreement Period. For example, this may be the case if we make changes to these Terms and Conditions or the Standards.

(c) If we offer you an Agreement upgrade under condition 6.4(b), we will notify you in writing setting out the details. It will be possible for you either to accept the Agreement upgrade or continue with your existing Agreement.

(d) There may also be exceptional circumstances (not referred to elsewhere in these Terms and Conditions) where we have to vary your Agreement during the Agreement Period. We will only do this due to exceptional circumstances, such as:

(i) changes in Law which must be reflected in the Agreement;

(ii) the need to respond to wider government emergency measures and/or measures imperative to the national interest, for example, disease outbreaks or food security emergencies.

(e) If we vary the Agreement under condition 6.4(d):

(i) we will notify you in writing and will endeavour to give such notice as is reasonable and proportionate, having regard to the nature of the variation and its consequences for you;

(ii) any variation to the Agreement will apply from the date we specify in our notice to you; and

(iii) if the variation to the Agreement under condition 6.4(d) is unacceptable to you, you can terminate your Agreement by notifying us in writing within a reasonable period that we will specify in our notice to you. Condition 15.3(d) will not apply provided you inform us within the period specified by us.



I did also notice that it will be very dificult for a farmer to terminate an agreement;

(a) During the Agreement Period, we will not usually allow you to remove a Standard, move Agreement Land to a lower Level under the Standards or remove land parcels from the Agreement Land. This is explained in the section about requesting changes to your agreement in the Scheme Rules.

(b) If you want to remove a Standard or move to a lower Level under the Standards or remove land parcels forming part of the Agreement Land, you must write to us to request this and explain (providing any supporting evidence) why you wish to do so.

(c) We will consider requests under condition 6.3 on a case-by-case basis and may allow the request if there is a Change of Circumstances as defined in condition 7. We will inform you of our decision within a reasonable time period.

(d) If we approve a request to remove a Standard or move to a lower Level under the Standards or remove land parcels forming part of the Agreement Land, then we may reduce, recover or withhold payment of the Grant in whole or in part until that request has been processed and the Agreement amended accordingly.

 

[onesiedale]

there is no option for a grassland farmer to enter into a higher level of achievement other than the basic, without entering into the 'cropping scenario' of herbal leys