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We just lately held a webinar for arable and horticulture farmers. Our intention was to undergo the 2023 Sustainable Farming Incentive supply for these farm varieties and reply your questions.
You possibly can watch a recording of the webinar.
We wish to be sure that these webinars are designed and delivered in a manner that presents the data clearly and in an enticing manner, so we encourage suggestions.
As soon as a webinar is over, we’ll publish a observe up publish like this one. In it, we’ll summarise the top-voted questions with responses.
And, for those who’ve learn the steering and nonetheless have questions, we’ll set out the very best methods so that you can get solutions as shortly as doable.
High themes
Making use of for SFI: who can apply and when
For the time being, anybody eligible for BPS can apply for an SFI settlement. It’s because their particulars are already registered with the RPA. In future, we’ll permit a wider vary of farmers to use. We’re encouraging those that are eligible to not wait to begin their SFI settlement. Test your eligibility for an SFI settlement.
Including additional actions to your SFI settlement
It’s doable so as to add actions to your settlement, however you’ll have to contact the RPA to debate this. An SFI settlement lasts for 3 years from its begin date. It may be ‘upgraded’ yearly so as to add extra actions and eligible land.
SFI and Countryside Stewardship
You may be in multiple scheme – as long as the actions you decide to are suitable and we’re not paying for a similar actions twice.
In future, you received’t must navigate a number of schemes and types to entry funds. You’ll be capable to entry the Sustainable Farming Incentive and Countryside Stewardship in a single, easy service that reveals all of the accessible choices in a single place. Within the meantime, within the SFI steering for every motion, you’ll discover a desk exhibiting CS and ES choices and their compatibility with every SFI motion.
After 2024, when the total and up to date scope of the SFI and CS gives can be found, we plan to evaluate our schemes and fee charges on an everyday, systematic foundation in order that they proceed to ship the meant outcomes, work for farmers, and supply worth for cash. We are going to set out our deliberate strategy to this quickly.
Funds for built-in pest administration
There are 4 SFI actions for built-in pest administration (IPM) accessible to farmers, together with natural farmers. These are IPM1 by which a BASIS certified adviser should assess your present strategy to pest, weed and illness administration and enable you to produce a plan. This pays £989 per settlement.
IPM2 is for flower-rich grass margins, blocks, or in-field strips which pays £673 per ha. IPM3 is for companion cropping on arable and horticultural land and consists of establishing a companion crop by lure cropping, inter-cropping, or undersowing. This pays £55 per ha.
IPM4 is for no use of insecticide on arable crops and everlasting crops which pays £45 per ha. IPM4 requires you to not apply any plant safety merchandise containing insecticide, together with seed dressings, on land entered into this motion. You possibly can apply different plant safety merchandise akin to herbicides, fungicides or plant regulators on land entered into IPM4. You may as well use molluscicides, akin to slug pellets.
Some requested if IPM4 may be utilized to a part of a area if for instance you’ve buffer strips across the outfacet. You possibly can add IPM4 and different SFI actions (akin to buffer strip actions) to the identical parcel. In the event you even have CS in that parcel, then it’s best to test the compatibility of your CS choices in opposition to the brand new SFI actions.
Funds for nutrient administration
There are three SFI actions for nutrient administration which you will like to contemplate. These are NUM1 by which it’s essential to organize for a FACTS certified adviser to assess nutrient administration in your farm and enable you to produce a evaluate report. You’ll obtain £589 for this motion.
NUM2 you may get fee for establishing and sustaining legumes on improved grassland which is £102 per hectare per yr.
NUM3 you may be paid for a legume fallow to provide areas of flowering crops from late spring and throughout the summer time months. It is a rotational possibility and pays £593 per hectare per yr.
Some requested how lengthy NUM3 have to be within the floor and when you need to drill it by. This motion is rotational so you are able to do it on the identical space of eligible land annually of your 3-year SFI settlement, or you’ll be able to transfer the realm annually. There isn’t any particular drilling date, however in case you are rotating the motion annually, it’s essential to do it for a time frame that might moderately be anticipated to attain this motion’s intention – which is that there’s a legume fallow that produces areas of flowering crops from late spring and throughout the summer time months.
You possibly can apply for this motion on both the whole SFI accessible space in every land parcel proven in your SFI software, or a part of that space.
Funds for hedgerow administration
There are three hedgerow actions: assess and document the situation of your hedgerows (HRW1) at £3 per 100m for one facet, administration of hedgerows (HRW2) at £10 per 100m for one’s facet and keep or set up hedgerow timber (HRW3) at £10 per 100m each side. All three actions may be achieved alongside one another, with all CS administration choices (with the exception that HRW2 can’t be achieved with CS BE3), and all ES income gives.
A couple of individuals have requested in regards to the fee for hedgerows as they relate to sides and lengths. The actions are both paid per 100m for one facet of the hedgerow or per 100 m for each side. In case you have administration management over each side of the hedgerow, then you’ll be able to declare for each side. Alternatively, when you’ve got administration management of just one facet, you’ll be able to solely declare for the facet you’ve management over. For instance, when you’ve got administration management of each side of the hedgerow and want to apply for all 3 actions you’d get:
HRW1: £3 per 100m x 2 = £6 per 100m each side
HRW2: £10 per 100m x2 = £20 per 100m each side
HRW3: £10 per 100m each side
Providing you with a complete of £36 per 100m
Some individuals within the webinar queried how the administration fee was calculated. Areas below HRW actions are transformed from metres to a notional ha for the administration fee calculations. HRW1 and HRW2 each have a notional ha of 0.0005ha per metre and HRW3 has a notional ha of 0.0010ha per metre (distinction being that HRW1 and HRW2 solely pertain to 1 facet of a hedge – while HRW3 covers each side). If there are a number of HRW actions taken on a parcel, the HRW motion with the best notional ha is used to rely in the direction of the administration fee. Because the HRW actions are boundary actions, this calculation is separate from any “in parcel” SFI actions.
Lastly, we have now had some questions on figuring out hedgerows on digital maps. As soon as your SFI settlement begins, it’s possible you’ll be requested to submit an RLE1 kind and sketch map if no hedgerows are proven in your digital maps for the related land parcel. You do not want to test your hedgerows in your digital maps earlier than you apply for the SFI actions for hedgerows.
Learn the total steering for hedgerow actions.
Funds for grassland actions
There are 2 low-input grassland actions for which you’ll be paid. You possibly can handle grassland with very low nutrient inputs (outdoors SDAs). This SFI motion is LIG1. You’ll obtain £151 per hectare (ha) per yr. The opposite is an motion to handle grassland with very low nutrient inputs (SDAs). This motion is LIG2. The steering for LIG1 AND LIG2 explains every motion intimately. LIG1 and LIG2 have the identical fee fee.
A couple of individuals requested when there can be extra actions accessible for everlasting grassland, species wealthy grassland and semi-improved grassland. By means of CS we presently pay for a variety of grassland choices together with species wealthy grassland and we’re engaged on these gives to enhance them the place doable. We intention to publish extra particulars on these within the new yr.
For individuals who requested about using legumes, we will verify they don’t seem to be suitable with low enter grassland actions as a result of they’re focused at improved grassland the place there may be little species range. Low enter grassland consists of species wealthy grasslands that will be broken if over sown with clovers.
If you’re desirous about stacking actions, GS2/LIG1 and NUM2 are incompatible with one another and can’t be stacked as this could characterize incompatible funding. It’s because GS2/LIG1 is fee for upkeep of areas of grass and NUM2 for areas of legumes. That is mirrored in present CS with GS4: legumes and herb wealthy swards being incompatible with GS2.
Different actions to contemplate:
Funds for farm wildlife on arable and horticultural land
In the event you set up and keep a pollen and nectar flower combine, you’ll obtain £614 per hectare per yr. This motion is AHL1 and goals to provide areas of flowering crops from late spring and throughout the summer time months to present meals for helpful pollinators and encourage pure crop pest predators as a part of an IPM strategy.
In the event you set up and keep areas of winter chicken meals that produce a provide of small seeds for smaller farmland birds from late autumn till late winter, you’ll obtain £732 per hectare per yr. This motion is AHL2. To ascertain the winter chicken meals blocks or strips, it’s essential to sow a mixture of a minimum of 6 crops that may present an prolonged provide of small seeds for farmland birds. You should handle them in a manner that might moderately be anticipated to attain this motion’s intention of manufacturing a provide of small seeds for smaller farmland birds from late autumn till late winter. The combo you sow should not embrace any of the next crops, as a result of these should not acceptable for the smaller farmland chicken species this motion is meant to help:
artichokes
reed canary grass
large and intermediate sorghum
maize
miscanthus
candy clover
tic beans
You possibly can obtain £590 per hectare per yr for those who set up and keep grassy area corners or blocks on arable and horticultural land. This motion AHL3. To ascertain the grassy area corners or blocks it’s essential to both sow them or permit the areas to naturally regenerate.
Funds for soil actions
In the event you assess your soil, produce a soil administration plan and take a look at the natural matter in your soil, you’ll obtain £5.80 per hectare (ha) and £95 per SFI settlement per yr. This SFI motion is SAM1.
In the event you set up multi-species cowl crop over the winter months, you’ll obtain £129 per hectare per yr. This SFI motion is SAM2.
In the event you set up and keep natural leys with a combination of grasses, legumes, and herbs, you’ll obtain £382 per hectare per yr. This SFI motion is SAM3.
The steering for every motion, linked above, reveals which actions are suitable with Countryside Stewardship and Environmental Stewardship.
Funds for buffer strips
In the event you set up a 4m to 12m grass buffer strip on improved grassland, you’ll obtain £235 per hectare per yr for the whole space of land you select to enter. This SFI motion is IGL3. The steering units out compatibility with CS and ES.
Funds for farming in protected landscapes
By means of the Farming in Protected Landscapes programme, farmers and land managers can get funding to ship initiatives in Nationwide Landscapes (previously Areas of Excellent Pure Magnificence), Nationwide Parks and the Broads.
Apply for an Enhancing Farm Productiveness grant
Within the New Yr, the Enhancing Farm Productiveness grant will open to horticultural and arable companies. The grant pays for capital objects together with robotic, computerized and photo voltaic tools that enhance farm and horticulture productiveness. We just lately revealed a publish giving an outline of the grant.
The place to subsequent?
In the event you’re completely new to the Sustainable Farming Incentive supply or considering of including extra actions to your present settlement and wish to be taught extra, go to our devoted SFI website on GOV.UK.
The SFI Handbook for the 2023 supply units out the official steering in a single PDF doc. The official SFI steering can also be introduced in particular person, accessible webpages on GOV.UK.
If you wish to speak to somebody about your software, the RPA has a devoted staff in place to assist.
In the event you’d like an impartial adviser to speak you thru the entire farming supply totally free, you’ll find an area adviser in your space and make direct contact. Defra is paying these advisers to provide farmers help by way of the agricultural transition. That is known as the Farming Resilience Fund.
The very best place to see all of the funding alternatives for farmers in England is Funding for farmers and land managers on GOV.UK.
By means of Countryside Stewardship, you may get funding to guard and enhance the land you handle. You possibly can have an SFI settlement and a CS settlement on the similar time – you simply received’t be paid twice for finishing up the identical motion. You may as well apply for CS grants. Discover all of them by utilizing the CS grant finder on GOV.UK.
Earlier this yr, we created a single web page on GOV.UK known as ‘Guidelines for farmers and land managers’. This web page teams collectively guidelines for farmers in England in a single place. It’s organized in a extra intuitive manner, by the actions that you just do. For instance, utilizing pest management merchandise.
We’ll at all times let you realize when new funding is out there to farmers in England, so subscribe to the Farming weblog. Each time we publish a publish about our work or a brand new funding alternative, you’ll get an electronic mail notification. We are likely to publish posts twice every week.
Lastly, when you’ve got a query about our work or solutions, please depart a message within the feedback part.
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