Switch Mid Tier to SFI

[Overby]

What's the info regarding amalgamating existing Mid Tier Agreements into the SFI?

The same options, with the same payment rates now appear in both, but the Stewardship payment is still one lump sum , whereas SFI is 3 monthly, making cashflow managemnet easier.

Anyone any info?

Great planning as always

 

[gone up the hill]

A few weeks ago the guidance said any CSS schemes started in 2024 or later could be dropped if you were going into the SFI scheme.

But any CSS agreements started in 2023 or before could not be ended in exchange for a new SFI agreement.

 

[Regenerator1]

Guidance on CS/SFI combined offer will be released in the new handbook before July... That will be some time between March 5th and June 30th but plan on the later

 

[yellow belly]

nothing has been published on the details how they will do it
all other information need to be carefully source checked before making and hard plans

best option is to continue with the mid tier and apply for sfi on the actions that fit in
then add to the sfi when you can

you can have multiple sfi schemes as long you do not claim twice for the same thing on the ground

 

[spin cycle]

you should be able to add sfi to agreements but feck knows how

I'm gonna have a go when it comes to top of 'to do list'.......but it's a long list

 

[Cotswold Len]

I was just wondering if it is now possible to switch from a Mid tier agreement to SFI and how? I have one year left to run on a mid tier and wanted to amalgamate it with a new SFI as quite honestly I have too many agreements running at the moment..

 

[livestock 1]

I had another meeting last week with the agent, there’s no available way of getting out of a stewardship agreement and going into sfi now.

 

[farmerm]

I was just wondering if it is now possible to switch from a Mid tier agreement to SFI and how? I have one year left to run on a mid tier and wanted to amalgamate it with a new SFI as quite honestly I have too many agreements running at the moment..

It’s not possible, it’s never going to be possible. (Probably)

 

[spin cycle]

I had another meeting last week with the agent, there’s no available way of getting out of a stewardship agreement and going into sfi now.

cnuts broke their promise and now just 'kicking can down the road' until agreements end and 'problem' vanishes

 

[livestock 1]

They have previously given three dates two in the last 12 months where we could jump ship out of stewardship into sfi, with the first promise being over a year ago. They also told stewardship agreement holders that sfi options could be ‘stacked’ onto existing stewardship agreements which also didn’t happen.
Someone from ne has said that ‘there’s no reason why stewardship agreements can’t be changed for sfi agreements in the new year’ but I suppose it’s not their choice and with the current government direction who could be convinced

 

[livestock 1]

Personally I think that sfi isn’t for farmers it’s for the benefit of the government with their net zero carry on. Anything that’s already in a stewardship scheme will tick their boxes so why bother to allow that land into sfi if it’s going to cost them more money. Worst part about it all is they have taken what’s left of the bps away to a big degree to put that money into sfi when they won’t let us into sfi. A lot of hill farmers have been surviving on what was left of the bps with the hope they/we would be allowed into sfi but been hammered at both ends. A lot of stewardship schemes on hill land have come about through grazing restrictions due to environmental constraints and sssi designations with the threat of loosing bps if the line wasn’t towed. The schemes in a lot of cases aren’t complicated and often have one simple prescription with a low payment rate. They don’t make up for or exceed the full bps rate like how a lot of current sfi agreement holders quote.

 

[BenAdamsAgri]

I was told by the RPA it was possible yesterday on the phone so come out of a clients mid tier at the end of this year.
Was asked asked to email in to explain but have not heard back yet.

 

[livestock 1]

I was told by the RPA it was possible yesterday on the phone so come out of a clients mid tier at the end of this year.
Was asked asked to email in to explain but have not heard back yet.

What was the agreement end date?
If it was Jan the 1st then it will be

 

[BenAdamsAgri]

What was the agreement end date?
If it was Jan the 1st then it will be

31st Dec

 

[livestock 1]

Well same thing
Yes that can change to sfi

 

[livestock 1]

The point is most els/hls agreements which had come about through designations and environmental constraints on what was originally good farming practices were offered 1 year extensions that was until sfi appeared but not available then we were offered 5 year extensions which most people are stuck in
Suspicious?

 

[spin cycle]

ffs...clear as mud

 

[livestock 1]

I was told by the RPA it was possible yesterday on the phone so come out of a clients mid tier at the end of this year.
Was asked asked to email in to explain but have not heard back yet.

You should be having a meeting with your client and compiling an sfi agreement together with the aim to submit it just before the end date

 

[livestock 1]

ffs...clear as mud

Basically the agreements were originally 10 year agreements with a 5 year break. They ran out so annually we were offered a 1 year extension until sfi was sorted that was happening around 2018/19 onwards and a few years annual extensions after that were offered. When sfi was warming up the annual extensions were changed to 5 year extensions that was the only thing on offer sfi wasn’t available for us at that point. I asked the question if sfi options could be stacked onto existing els/hls agreements and was told some options could be and or we could come out of els/hls and go into sfi mid agreement term.

 

[livestock 1]

So now we are in 5 year extensions but can’t get into sfi as promised (3 times)