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Is there a Sustainable Farming Incentive suitable for your farm?

Is there a Sustainable Farming Incentive suitable for your farm?

Jenny Stewart, Stags Senior Surveyor, looks into DEFRA’s first Environmental Land Management scheme.

Applications are open for the Sustainable Farming Incentive (SFI), the first of three new Environmental Land Management (ELM) schemes to be introduced by DEFRA. The scheme initially opens with only two soil standard options for the Arable and Improved Grassland Soil Standards and Moorland and Rough Grazing Standards. However, the scheme will continue to expand with other options over the next three years, during which current direct payments will be phased out. The full scheme should be in place by 2025 according to the government.

Within the SFI, farmers are encouraged to review the various options and decide whether any are suitable for their farm. Unlike previous schemes, DEFRA’s intention is that farmers will be able to pick and choose more targeted elements that work for them in their own time, without deadlines, to ultimately create a custom environmental management package suitable for their farm and farming enterprises.

Farmers who are eligible to claim BPS and are not currently entered into any agri-environment schemes, such as Countryside Stewardship or are claiming BPS on Common Land, are able to complete their applications straight away. Alternatively, farmers who are claiming should enquire first, to ensure SFI claims are compatible with existing Countryside Stewardship agreements and similar activities aren’t receiving double payments on the same land areas.

If you would like to discuss the new schemes or would like any further advice, Stags Professional Services would be delighted to help. Please contact Jenny Stewart on 01803 849955.