The Sustainable Farming Incentive
The Sustainable Farming Incentive
In this post, we’ll provide updates on the Sustainable Farming Incentive (SFI) and the resources you need to prepare.
Updated 1 November
In this post, we’ll provide updates on the Sustainable Farming Incentive (SFI) and the resources you need to prepare.
Updated 1 November
As part of the agricultural transition away from the European Union (EU), we’re committed to delivering a better regulation system for farming. At the moment, farmers who receive payments under the Basic Payment Scheme (BPS) and some other agri-environment schemes must meet minimum standards to receive those payments. This is known as cross compliance. Cross compliance will end 31 December 2023. We've published guidance about what this means for farmers and land managers on GOV.UK.
On Monday 20 November, we held a webinar for livestock and grassland farmers. If you missed the webinar, don't worry. In this post, I'll share a link to the recording. I'll also include the top questions farmers put to us and a summary of the offer for those farm types.
Through the Farming Resilience Fund, farmers and land managers who receive BPS payments can access free, independent business advice. In this film, we travel to Shropshire to meet rare breed pig farmers Sarah and Byron Odell. Together with their adviser Karen Fisher, they describe their business objectives and the advice they were given.
I am pleased to tell you that the annual health and welfare review of livestock is now open to non-BPS registered farmers, meaning more livestock keepers in England can now apply. Through the Review, farmers who keep cattle, sheep and pigs can get funding to pay for a vet to visit their farm and carry out a yearly review.
Farmers, growers and foresters in England will soon be able to apply for a share of £850,000 for ideas that improve productivity, sustainability, resilience and move the agricultural sector to net zero. Opening on 18 December, the Research Starter competition offers an entry point to the innovation process for those with bold, ambitious, early-stage ideas. We published guidance for the competition today to help you prepare.
The Natural Environment Investment Readiness Fund (NEIRF) will soon offer grants designed to help farmers attract private investment in nature. You’ll be able to apply for a grant on 11 December 2023. We've published guidance for the grant on GOV.UK to help you prepare.
In this post, I'm pleased to share the 34 successful projects in the second round of Landscape Recovery. This £25 million round will fund 12 more projects than the previous round, demonstrating our commitment to funding that delivers environmental benefits in harmony with food production.
Through the Farming in Protected Landscapes programme (FiPL), farmers and land managers can get funding to deliver projects that support and improve National Landscapes (formerly Areas of Outstanding Natural Beauty), National Parks and the Broads. In this post, I'll share an overview of the programme and findings from the recently published Farming in Protected Landscapes evaluation. The findings give a sense of how popular the scheme has been and the reasons behind it.
I’m pleased to say you can now apply for a Slurry Infrastructure grant. In this round, Round 2, £74 million of grant funding is available. This is more than double the funding available in Round 1. With more funding available, we’d strongly encourage everyone who wants to improve their slurry storage to apply for a grant.
On Monday 4 December, we’re holding a webinar for arable farmers and horticultural farmers in England to learn more about the Sustainable Farming Incentive (SFI). From the actions for soils to the actions for integrated pest management, we'll go through the offer and you’ll be able to put your questions to the team.