Sustainable Farming Incentive - Pilot Information (including PAYMENT RATES)

[midlandslad]

https://www.gov.uk/government/publi...s-plans-for-piloting-and-launching-the-scheme

To me this looks far from straightforward and those who moaned about the complexities of the BPS application process had better not look!

So basically there are three tiers to the ELMS, with the SFI being the broad and shallow part, from which you can then select one (or more) of the eight standards and within each standard there are introductory, intermediate and advanced levels.

As an example if you had a 400 acre arable farm with no boundary features and you applied for the land and soils standard on all the land you would receive between £23/acre (introductory) and £54/acre (advanced), which equates to £9,200 to £21,600/annum.

Assuming the above is the payment once the BPS has been removed, which would be say £85/acre and £34,000/annum, there is a shortfall of income of between £12,400 - 24,800/annum, before you take into account the extra costs and income forgone of the new scheme.

 

[colhonk]

OK, took your advise and have not looked.

 

[Wombat]

may not worth the hassle for £23 an acre if that ended up being the final payment rate, depending what conditions they impose for it

 

[AndrewM]

Arable and horticultural land standard

Introductory level (£28 per hectare)	Intermediate level (£54 per hectare) All actions in the introductory level plus	Advanced level (£74 per hectare) All actions in the introductory and intermediate levels plus
Provide year-round resources for farmland birds and insects	Improve nutrient use efficiency and reduce loses to the environment by carrying out a nutrient budget	Provide nesting and shelter for wildlife by having areas of tall vegetation and scrub
Better meet your soil requirements by following a nutrient management plan	Increase habitat for farm and aquatic wildlife through rotational ditch management	Benefit from crop pest predators by locating their habitats next to cropped areas
Minimise emissions of ammonia through rapid incorporation of organic manures and slurry on ploughed land	Better target your nutrient application by carrying out soil mapping	Use efficient precision application equipment for fertilisers and organic manures
Additional action	As in introductory level	As in introductory level
This applies only: to in-field trees on arable and horticultural land
Actions required: protect your in-field trees and provide a habitat for wildlife by having a buffer
Additional payment on top of the base payment: £10 per tree

 

[AndrewM]

Available from late 2022, for those claiming bps. 7 other components covering soils, grazing, woodlands trees. Lots looks achievable, but paperwork will be big

 

[teslacoils]

Lump
Sum
Exit
Scheme

 

[midlandslad]

Lump
Sum
Exit
Scheme

How much are you expecting this to be?

 

[WOODCHIP]

Looking at payments of £74 hectare for advanced options for what they are asking it’s not worth the hassle, plus £10 a tree extra . I won’t be rushing to join in.

 

[DrWazzock]

It’s not a substitute for BPS, it’s an “alternative crop” and not a very appealing one at that.
Just about got the place back to 4 x 50 acre arable blocks now. Soon be all combinable once the beet is finished. Plough it all in 16 days, drill in 8, combine in 8, bit of spray n fert in between and/or do something more profitable and/or let it.
No more clatting about. We can’t afford the sort of administrative overhead these schemes entail, especially on a small place. Precision mapping and variable rate fert technology on 200 acres - they are having a laugh.

 

[7610 super q]

How much for 2 barn owls + 1 hedgehog ?

 

[delilah]

I must have missed it, only scanned, but given that there are different payment rates, even at the basic level, for arable and grassland, what happens when you are mixed ?

(can't believe I am even asking any questions, it's doomed to failure).

 

[delilah]

Additional payment on top of the base payment: £10 per tree

That is in the introductory level. They are trying to replicate HLS over the entire farmed land area of the UK. Muppets.

 

[teslacoils]

How much are you expecting this to be?

Haven't a clue. But the new scheme looks a total waste of time. Just hoping I can renew my mid tier in time for 5 years of gs4, with free pipe and slippers. Farmer exit scheme is going to be a political nightmare.

 

[delilah]

It gets madder every time you try to read it.
ELMS peeps: It's not too late. Bin it now. Blank piece of paper time.

 

[serf]

How much for 2 barn owls + 1 hedgehog ?

Nothing for a hedgehog cos the badger ate them all !

 

[serf]

Thought there was clean water type incentives,
So can get grant to concrete your yard , even outside of catchment areas .

 

[Tubbylew]

I must admit, I've only scanned it so far, but it looks fairly complicated to say the least, and a quick reckon up would suggest that the rates on offer are easily replaced with a few more cows (on this patch, at least), but the real issue I can see at the outset is minimum sward height. I'd give my left bollock for 3 inches of grass atm. but after the wet autumn and winter just gone I simply couldn't commit to a prescibed measurment, unless I blast fert on early autumn, if it's dry enough.

 

[Gedd]

Thought there was clean water type incentives,
So can get grant to concrete your yard , even outside of catchment areas .

I cant get the grant for concrete not available for my farm

 

[delilah]

Couple of queries:
1)
Can someone point me to the Defra definition of 'tree', as opposed to, say, 'sapling', or 'bush'.
2)
Tree in an arable field: £10.
Tree in a grass field: £3.
Tree stood in a boundary between the two: ? Tree in a field in a rotation ?

(trying not to laugh here)

 

[holwellcourtfarm]

Couple of queries:
1)
Can someone point me to the Defra definition of 'tree', as opposed to, say, 'sapling', or 'bush'.
2)
Tree in an arable field: £10.
Tree in a grass field: £3.
Tree stood in a boundary between the two: ? Tree in a field in a rotation ?

(trying not to laugh here)

Agreed. Does a 6" diameter ash pay the same as a 300 year old oak with a huge crown? Especially if you have to leave several metres outside the crown radius ungrazed!