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Tom Lewis, Defra

Tom Lewis

Tom is a policy lead in Defra’s Sustainable Farming Incentive team.

His team is responsible for developing, testing and refining policy for the scheme roll out from 2022. This team works with the Sustainable Farming Incentive scheme pilot, tests and trials, and other parts of new environmental land management schemes

Sustainable Farming Incentive: standards, payment rates, and how to prepare

Dry stone walls, Derbyshire Dales

We plan to launch the Sustainable Farming Incentive in June. Today we can share the final standards and payment rates, our approach to the applications process and how to prepare, In this post, I’ll provide an overview and share links to further information on GOV.UK. I’ll also explain how farmers have directly shaped the scheme through the Sustainable Farming Incentive pilot, tests and trials, engagement sessions, co-design activity and discussions.

The Sustainable Farming Incentive: what’s new, improved and coming in 2022

Today we published further information on the Sustainable Farming Incentive. You can find it, in full, on GOV.UK. In this post, I’ll share a summary of the things that are new, the things we’ve changed following feedback and what you can expect in 2022.

Update on the Sustainable Farming Incentive pilot 

In July, we opened the applications window for farmers to join our Sustainable Farming Incentive pilot.  In this post, Lisa Applin (Rural Payments Agency) and Tom Lewis (Future Farming and Countryside Programme) share the results of the application process, what the team learned and what they will do next.