Wish list from the SFI santa?

[Devil's advocate]

What would you like from SFI for a late Xmas gift. I include CS because they will merge in time.

My wish is an annual payment for a commitment to keep good drystone walls maintained. I've a feeling in my water that I'm going to be lucky.

To be greedy (it is my thread) I'd like to see some help for urban fringe land, which exercises so many people but which is so hard to farm. Sadly devoid of wildlife too.

 

[spin cycle]

I want defra to make good on the promise made by Christmas past that those of us in Cs can merge into sfi

 

[Samcowman]

To be allowed to apply would be a start.

 

[Grass And Grain]

I want defra to make good on the promise made by Christmas past that those of us in Cs can merge into sfi

And they should remove any requirement for the SFI scheme to be at least/more ambitious than the CS scheme it replaces. They didn't mention this when we signed up for CS.

 

[Devil's advocate]

And they should remove any requirement for the SFI scheme to be at least/more ambitious than the CS scheme it replaces. They didn't mention this when we signed up for CS.

Could you expand on that, I don't quite follow.

I'm sure you are making a valid point, but I need it explaining.

 

[bobk]

Over wintered stubbles @ 500/ acre

 

[Devil's advocate]

Over wintered stubbles @ 500/ acre

silly

 

[Jackov Altraids]

It would be nice if they paid those who have maintained, retained hedges, woodland etc. rather than just those that destroyed it all in the first place.

 

[Rossymons]

It would be nice if they paid those who have maintained, retained hedges, woodland etc. rather than just those that destroyed it all in the first place.

I've knocked down several walls in my house by banging my head against it with regards to woodland. We've got 20 acres of mature woodland that we've managed. It's worth nothing from an scheme point of view. Ridiculous.

 

[zero]

Just go back to the old IACS payments. Flat rate per acre on a capped acerage regardless of whats growing. Some folks would grow as much as possible, some would rather farm wildlife and some would do a bit of both depending on commodity prices. Would all probably average out in the end if the environmentallists didn't interfere too much..

 

[spin cycle]

Just go back to the old IACS payments. Flat rate per acre on a capped acerage regardless of whats growing. Some folks would grow as much as possible, some would rather farm wildlife and some would do a bit of both depending on commodity prices. Would all probably average out in the end if the environmentallists didn't interfere too much..

what sorta £80/ac....subject to farm scoring sorta els points and capped at £150k?.....far to simple/sensible?





ukip's ag policy at 2017 election

 

[Grass And Grain]

Could you expand on that, I don't quite follow.

I'm sure you are making a valid point, but I need it explaining.

DEFRA have said if you want to end a CS agreement early, in order to then start a new SFI agreement, that the SFI agreement should be at least as ambitious as your old CS.

e.g. If in your CS Agreement you had 50 acres of AB15 legume fallow and 5 acres of AB9 Winter Bird Food, then they'd be requiring you to have at least 55 acres of similar non-cropping options in your SFI.

DEFRA announced that several months back. But they didn't mention it when I signed my CS agreement for 1st Jan 2021 start date. They just had a line at beginning of the guidance, can't remember exact wording, but it said we could shift to any new schemes (without penalty) when they became available. There was no mention of being equally or more ambitious. iirc it's on page 4,5,or 6 of the Mid Tier handbook.

Back in July I asked if we could move from CS to SFI without any penalty, and they said I could, but didn't mention the thing about being equally as ambitious, so I'm hoping they don't make that a condition of the move.

 

[Devil's advocate]

what sorta £80/ac....subject to farm scoring sorta els points and capped at £150k?.....far to simple/sensible?





ukip's ag policy at 2017 election

I don't understand why payments should be capped.

Is ag support for a reason or a type of social sercurity?

 

[zero]

what sorta £80/ac....subject to farm scoring sorta els points and capped at £150k?.....far to simple/sensible?





ukip's ag policy at 2017 election

Wondered more 100 quid an acre so we have a buffer when prices and the weather go to their extremes with a similar cap. But scoring environment points to claim would make sense then farms with existing hedges, trees and old pastures ect could freewheel into it and those with few of the above could do the wildlife friendly stuff here and there to build a few points.
Owt thats easy paperwork really and reopen a few regional offices to process and administer it..

 

[Poncherello1976]

More financial support for permanent pasture. They keep saying that we are losing our meadows etc, now put your money where your mouth is. Otherwise more will be lost/changed in to arable fields, as you can get more money. It defeats the object in my eyes!

 

[Devil's advocate]

Wondered more 100 quid an acre so we have a buffer when prices and the weather go to their extremes with a similar cap. But scoring environment points to claim would make sense then farms with existing hedges, trees and old pastures ect could freewheel into it and those with few of the above could do the wildlife friendly stuff here and there to build a few points.
Owt thats easy paperwork really and reopen a few regional offices to process and administer it..

There is no extra money. So every year it will in effect fall/lose its value.

For anyone to get extra someone else has to lose. I think that is deliberate, so we fight each other, farmer baiting in effect.

 

[Devil's advocate]

More financial support for permanent pasture. They keep saying that we are losing our meadows etc, now put your money where your mouth is. Otherwise more will be lost/changed in to arable fields, as you can get more money. It defeats the object in my eyes!

Hard to argue with that.

I suppose land farmed with high stocking rates, lots of herbicides, NPK, over seeding is really ley.

 

[Hampton]

More woodland things

 

[coniser]

Stone wall payment got more walls than hedges here

 

[Wood field]

Stone wall payment got more walls than hedges here

We have walls, no hedges. But to pinch Devils advocate’s name
What actual good is a rebuilt or repaired wall other than aesthetic
I have hundreds of meters of wall , I just wonder what the supposed public good is in seeing them repaired over say grassland which gets a pee poor payment