This scheme will pay farmers to manage their land in an environmentally sustainable way. It is made up of a set of standards, which range from ‘hedgerows’ to ‘moorland’ to ‘nutrient management’. Each standard has a group of actions the farmer must undertake to receive the payment. Farmers can choose to apply for payment for as many or as few of the standards as they like.
Sustainable Farming Incentive – Actions and Notes
| Purpose | To financially support farmers that run their farms more environmentally sustainable. |
| Criteria | – England wide – Farmers must be eligible for BPS in either May 2022 or May 2023. This will change in future years – Eligibility requirements for the SFI actions include the land being recorded on Rural Payments with the appropriate cover and having management control to be able to deliver the required actions |
| SFI Actions and Funding Levels | Actions for Soil – Assess soil, test soil organic matter and produce a plan – £5.80 per hectare and an additional payment of £95 per agreement – Multi-species winter cover crops – £129 per hectare – Herbal leys – £382 per hectare Actions for Moorland – Assess moorland and produce a written record – £10.30 per hectare and an additional payment of £265 per agreement Action for Hedgerows – Assess and record hedgerow condition – £3 per 100 metres – one side – Manage hedgerows – £10 per 100 metres – one side – Maintain or establish hedgerow trees – £10 per 100 metres – both sides Actions for Integrated Pest Management – Assess integrated pest management and produce a plan – £989 per year – Flower-rich grass margins, blocks, or in-field strips – £673 per hectare – Companion crop on arable and horticultural land – £55 per hectare – No use of insecticide on arable crops and permanent crops – £45 per hectare Actions for Nutrient Management – Assess nutrient management and produce a review report – £589 per year – Legumes on improved grassland – £102 per hectare – Legume fallow – £593 per hectare Actions for Farmland Wildlife on Agricultural and Horticultural Land – Pollen and nectar flower mix – £614 per hectare – Winter bird food on arable and horticultural land – £732 per hectare – Grassy field corners and blocks – £590 per hectare Actions for Farmland Wildlife on Improved Grassland – Take grassland field corners or blocks out of management – £333 per hectare – Winter bird food on improved grassland – £474 per hectare Actions for Buffer Strips – 4m to 12m grass buffer strip on arable and horticultural land – £451 per hectare – 4m to 12m grass buffer strip on improved grassland – £235 per hectare Actions for Low Input Grassland – Manage grassland with very low nutrient inputs (outside SDAs) – £151 per hectare – Manage grassland with very low nutrient inputs (SDAs) – £151 per hectare |
| Notable Information | – Payments are typically supplied as a total annual amount, the amount given being dependent on the area of land/length of hedgerow entered – Some actions are rotational, so they can move to different areas of land each year of the SFI agreement, and some are static, so must be done on the same area for the duration of your 3-year SFI agreement – Tenants can apply for SFI without seeking their landlord’s consent (subject to the terms of their tenancy agreement). The tenant needs to be confident that they will have management control for the three-year term of the SFI agreement. – These are THREE YEAR AGREEMENTS, managed online through the Rural Payments service, and there is a rolling application window. – Agreements will start on 1st of the month. RPA support will be available for applicants who are not online. – Payments will be made quarterly, starting in the fourth month after your agreement starts. This will be for a quarter of the annual value of the agreement. |
| Further Details | Environmental Land Management schemes: overview – GOV.UK (www.gov.uk) Sustainable Farming Incentive (SFI) Handbook for the SFI 2023 offer (publishing.service.gov.uk) |
| How To Apply | Apply for the Sustainable Farming Incentive – Farming (blog.gov.uk) |
Annual Health and Welfare Review – Available through SFI
Farmers who keep cattle, sheep or pigs can get a payment for a vet or vet-led team to visit their farm and carry out an annual health and welfare review. If you’re a eligible for BPS, you can register your interest to apply for this funding.
| Purpose | To provide funding for a vet to visit a farm and carry out a livestock health and welfare review |
| Criteria | – England Only – Business must have 11+ Beef Cattle, 11+ Dairy Cattle, 21+ Sheep, 51+ Pigs – Business must have an SBI (Single Business Identifier) linked to a CPH (County Parish – Holding) number registered in England – Initially for farmers who are eligible for a BPS payment or plan to make a BPS claim in 2023 – Initially, applicants are only eligible for a review of one type of livestock |
| Funding Level | PAYMENTS BELOW ARE PER SPECIES NOT PER ANIMAL – Pigs £684 – Sheep £436 – Beef Cattle £522 – Dairy Cattle £372 |
| Included | – A visit from a a vet lasting 2-3 hours – Testing for endemic disease or condition of livestock – Advice on health and welfare – A written report and summary from the vet DEFRA WILL NOT ASK TO SEE THE REPORT. IT WILL NOT BE USED FOR SITE VISITS OR COMPLIANCE CHECKS. |
| Further Details | SFI annual health and welfare review – GOV.UK (www.gov.uk) |
| How To Apply | Annual health and welfare review of livestock (defra.gov.uk) |