The Basic Payment Scheme's direct payments (BPS) will be replaced with delinked payments in 2024. Visit GOV.UK for the official guidance on delinking.
Our new schemes can be divided into one-off payments and ongoing payments.
They are summarised in the Funding for Farmers and Land Managers page on GOV.UK
You can get get free business advice to help you manage the transition through the Future Farming Resilience Fund.
Learn more
Environmental land management schemes: an update
This policy paper sets out how government will pay farmers and land managers to protect and improve the environment alongside food production, and how Environmental Land Management schemes will be delivered. It was published in January 2023.
GOV.UK
Funding for Farmers on GOV.UK contains details of new schemes and links to apply. It is updated regularly.
Payments for Farming leaflet
The Payments for Farming leaflet contains an overview of new funding opportunities. It was updated in January 2023.
Payments for Farming booklet
The Payments for Farmers booklet contains details of new funding opportunities. It replaces the previous 'Farming is Changing booklet'. It was updated in July 2022.
How the Sustainable Farming Incentive works
The Sustainable Farming Incentive leaflet provides an overview of how the scheme works. It was published in 2022.
The Agricultural Transition Plan
The Agricultural Transition Plan sets out the changes we are going to make to agricultural policy in England from 1 January 2021. It also covers what these changes will mean for farmers and land managers.
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11 comments
Comment by Olia posted on
Thank you for this overview!
Comment by Hugh Mason posted on
The fact that there is political change to English agriculture has to be accepted. What is ignored, however, is that most of the world’s agriculture is supported financially one way or another (look at what is happening to US agriculture, currently). This is for, presumably, good political reason. A government’s first duty is to protect its people from hurt and hunger – surely? People certainly riot when there is no food. The English farmer is having his support withdrawn very quickly – most English farmers can only generate income once a year. The political pledge that the English farmer would be no worse off than under CAP is falling apart. The UK government has done the easy bit, of taking money away. It appears not to know what to replace the support with. If it does not see agriculture as a necessity it should at least have the decency to say so and say so quite clearly. If it has detail for future funding, the government does not wish to share this with those that will be involved – this makes planning virtually impossible. This situation is made worse as many schemes (environmental or otherwise) are being closed down. Retaining them may well have helped bridged the gap, whilst meeting “public money for public goods”
It has now been much quoted that the government is allowing time for the English farmer to improve his/her productivity to compete with imports from abroad. Of those that make this statement it has to be asked “what on earth do you think a farmer does most of his day?”. At this moment in time the English farmer has more knowledge than he/she has ever had and yet, productivity (at least in the part of English agriculture I am involved in) is going backwards. Look at any long chart you want. It can be said that government bureaucrats, today, have more involvement in English farming than they’ve ever had. It is political nonsense to suggest that government is going to “set farmers free” whilst stating that it will introduce new rules for the activity – it has to be reasoned there are rules. The Conservative Party has, in the past, made much of “gold plating” EU rules. Is it seriously suggested that the government is going to have a lesser role in the future? That is certainly not the direction of travel of the present government with regards its policies across the country. Not yet commented much on but, English farmers will be reporting some of the worst financial results in living memory over the next 18 months or so. When the UK banks see this they will start to apply pressure for loan repayment/asset sales. This will suppress values and round in the circle we will go. If interest rates rise, we will just go round more quickly. This will be during the period that the government is removing financial support. Farmers have the highest suicide rate of any profession. As the support disappears it will be to the sound of shotguns going off. It will be a “levelling up” of sorts though, I suppose. Politically perhaps the government thinks it does not have to take English agriculture with it.As it currently seems to me, this government is taking some 40% of English agriculture to bankruptcy and the balance, if agriculture is their prime source of income, will not be happy. It perhaps will be likened to what happened to the coal industry. The difference is that the coal miners at least had a community to help them through that period. English farmers, in the main, do not.
Comment by Sarah Stewart posted on
Hello Hugh,
Thank you for taking the time to comment. You're right, leaving the EU represents a significant change, but it also gives us the opportunity to do things differently and, we think, better.
Our goal is to support our famers to be profitable, to produce healthy food and to do so in a way that makes a positive impact on our environment. To achieve this, we're actively rewarding farmers for the environmentally sustainable actions they take. I hope this page goes some way to demonstrate that agri-environment schemes aren't vanishing. We have three coming in and we’re managing the transition from existing schemes to new schemes in a way that works for everyone.
Farming is tough and uncertainty is stressful, so both my policy and communications colleagues are working hard to make sure that we tell farmers what they need to do and when - here on the blog, on GOV.UK, in the press, at events and through our networks.
Through things like the Farming Resilience Fund, we're supporting farmers with their business planning so that the seven-year period of transition is manageable. For those who wish to leave farming, we're offering a lump sum payment. We're also working on attracting new entrants into the sector.
One of the reasons we created this blog was to work in the open and to give people a chance to comment and get involved. You'll see we talk a lot about 'co-design' for the same reason. It is so important that farmers, land managers, foresters, agronomists (in fact anyone affected) is involved in the design of schemes and policies. They are the experts. They experience the day-to-day reality of farming. It must work for them. If you have any thoughts on how we can do things better, drop me a line. If you'd like to get involved in our co-design work, my colleagues really would love to hear from you.
Best wishes and thanks again for visiting,
Sarah
Comment by Debi posted on
Hi I live close to two major motorways, a flight path and a train line. A bunch of trees were planted this year to help with pollution. 90% of the trees were distoyed by children and thief's. Lots of us tried to replant them every day but without success. What a waste without educations how is any of this every going to stick. MPs of the party said we were expecting to loose 10% of the trees but didnt go round to the local schools to explain why we need the trees to survive. It's the normal for the government to jump in without fully thinking out a plan and following it through to the end. People of this beautiful country let's do something sustainable and follow it through to the great end please
Comment by Sarah Stewart posted on
Hi Debi,
Thanks for getting in touch. It is so disappointing to read about the wilful destruction of our natural environment. Your work to protect these trees, however, is heartening.
Our team works on the new farming policies post Brexit, so it might be worth visiting the Woodland Trust website, specifically its content on Tree Protection Orders.
A Tree Preservation Order, or TPO, is usually made by a local planning authority (often the local council) to protect a specific tree or woodland from deliberate damage and destruction. This could include felling, lopping, topping, uprooting or otherwise intentional damage. https://www.woodlandtrust.org.uk/protecting-trees-and-woods/campaign-with-us/campaign-in-your-community/tree-preservation-orders/.
The Woodland Trust also has some great educational resources, funded by Defra too https://www.woodlandtrust.org.uk/support-us/act/your-school/resources/
Best wishes,
Sarah
Comment by Michael posted on
New Entrant Support Scheme - looking forward to this.
Comment by Lucinda posted on
Thank you for the opportunity to contribute. I make the following points from a landscape officer's perspective:-
1. incentivise sustainable soils-management on all land (not just peat) to retain and improve carbon-capture capacity, protect soil ecology & soil structure. (This should also help to de-motivate inappropriate use of soils, and loss of soils such as through waste-tipping and surface-sealing)
2.incentivise space for new field trees & hedge-systems (hedge-system = trees+shrubs+ditch+bank+verges) - include smaller-machinery incentives to prevent boundary-loss, help negate need for gate-widening and to reduce extent of hardstandings (this could include reward for machinery-repair rather than replacement and should be done in liaison with machinery manufacturers to ensure efficient ‘field-gate-sized’ modern equipment is available)
3. incentivise rainwater-harvesting systems and new sustainable drainage components (e.g. swales, naturalised detention basins & permanent ponds), particularly the re-instatement of historic seasonal or permanent ponds
4.Include payments for green roofs & living walls for all existing & new agricultural buildings and include non-agricultural but significant landscape buildings, such as equestrian buildings, which are becoming ever-more prevalent in the landscape
Comment by Sarah Stewart posted on
Hi Lucinda,
I'm grateful that you took the time to share your thoughts - thank you. I've sent your comment to my co-design colleagues. They'll make sure your points reach the right policy teams.
Perhaps you might like to contribute further thoughts through a workshop or discussion? If so, email ffcpcodesign@defra.gov.uk. We'd love to learn more from your insight.
Best wishes,
Sarah
Comment by BEN ROWLINSON posted on
Unfortunately areas round my area that have been allowed to revert to nature under the guise of conservation have become an impenetrable mass of nettles ,docks and brambles blocking footpaths and bridleways.
Will not be surprised when the whole country becomes like this and all food has to be imported with it's attendant food miles because of our own farmers have been put out of business because of some of these pittance paying schemes giving them no chance of competing with other countries imports.
Comment by Sarah Stewart posted on
Hi Ben,
Thanks for your comment.
Our goal is to support famers to be profitable, to produce healthy food and to do so in a way that makes a positive impact on our environment.
Through our environmental land management schemes, government will incentivise farmers and other land managers to deliver public goods. There are 6 public goods and public access is an important part of the last public good on that list: enhanced engagement with the environment. I'll share the Agricultural Transition Plan at the bottom of this comment - it contains more detail.
Getting anything right - whether it's payment rates or access - relies on government listening to (and working with) farmers, land managers and other stakeholders. Our co-design approach is one of the ways we're doing that. If you'd like to share your thoughts, we really would be grateful for them. Just email ffcpcodesign@defra.gov.uk.
Best wishes,
Sarah
http://www.gov.uk/government/publications/agricultural-transition-plan-2021-to-2024
Comment by Connor mciver posted on
Hi there I have just started farming myself as of July 25th 2020 and it is not easy money wise and getting started I have had no help what so ever so looking forward to seeing what help etc comes along. I will be honest we have spent 30 thousand out of our own pocket and loan etc that all needs payed back. We currently rent 65 acres of land and it is a massive struggle currently we are just finishing our first lambing at home and have lambed a total of 110 sheep between hogs and gimmers. I would love to be able to help and contribute to anything I can to make this work many thanks Connor