The Sustainable Farming Incentive is one part of the new Environmental Land Management Scheme which will replace BPS and Countryside Stewardship (CSS). This week DEFRA has announced the standards and payment rates that will be available for farmers and landowners to apply for in 2022.
The standards and payment rates available this year will include:
Arable and horticultural soils standard
- Introductory level paying £22 per hectare
- Intermediate level paying £40 per hectare
Under this standard, farmers will be required to test soil organic matter, complete a soil assessment and management plan. In addition, organic matter must be applied to the land every three years and various levels of green cover/cover crops must be kept over winter depending on the level that is applied for.
Improved grassland soils standard
- Introductory level paying £28 per hectare
- Intermediate level paying £58 per hectare
Grassland which is classed as ‘improved’ will be eligible for this standard. ‘Improved’ grassland is classed as grassland which has been sowed/reseeded, ploughed or spread with artificial fertiliser in the last 15 years. To claim the payments, applicants will have to test soil organic matter, complete a soil assessment and management plan and minimise bare ground. To qualify for the intermediate level farmers will have to establish or maintain herbal leys.
Moorland standard
- Introductory level only, paying £10.30 per hectare plus additional £265 per agreement
To claim the Moorland payments, applicants will have to the following:
- identify and record the soil and vegetation types and condition, and presence of historic and archaeological features
- assess the public goods the moorland is already providing
- identify opportunities to maintain or enhance the public goods provided by the moorland
There is an additional payment of £6.15 per hectare for common land with its own agreement.
As well as the above, the SFI will fund a vet visit for livestock farmers through the Annual Health and Welfare Review Scheme. Applications for this will open later in the year.
Applications for this round of the SFI are due to open in June 2022 and it is expected that there will no deadline dates, so applications can be made at any time. Applications can be made if you have an existing CSS agreement. However, you will only be eligible for standards that are different to ones in your current agreement.
If successful, SFI agreements will last for 3 years and applicants will be able to add more standards and land into the agreement as standards are introduced. DEFRA will make payments every three months from the date the agreement starts.
Although payments aren’t as generous as the rates offered by BPS and CSS, it is definitely worth considering applying for SFI as eventually applicants will be able to apply for more funding through other strands of ELMS including the Nature Recovery Scheme. For more information on the SFI, other ELMS Schemes and advice on how to mitigate the affects on losing BPS on your business, please contact one of the team.