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Piloting the Sustainable Farming Incentive: changing your application or agreement offer
The guidance on this page is for SFI pilot participants only. Please visit GOV.UK for the official Sustainable Farming Incentive scheme guidance.
How to request an update to a submitted Sustainable Farming Incentive pilot application or agreement offer
This is part of the guidance for the Sustainable Farming Incentive pilot.
Request a change after you submit
You can ask for a change to your submitted application before you’re offered an agreement. Its status in the Rural Payments service must be ‘Application Under Internal Checks’. To check this:
- Sign in to the service.
- Go to the ‘Environmental Land Management Applications and Agreements’ screen.
Request changes as early as possible so that the start of your agreement is not delayed.
Add a land parcel
Email the RPA before you’re offered an agreement. Use ‘SFI pilot’ as the subject of your email. In the email, include:
- your business name and Single Business Identifier (SBI)
- your Sustainable Farming Incentive pilot application reference number
- a contact name and number
- the land parcel reference numbers to be added, including sheet reference number and parcel IDs
- the standards and ambition levels to be applied to each land parcel
You must also submit an RLE1 form if the land parcel is either:
- not registered
- registered but not linked to your SBI
If you’re emailing the RLE1 form, use ‘SFI pilot - RLE1 form’ as the subject of your email.
Remove a land parcel
Email the RPA before you’re offered an agreement. Use ‘SFI pilot’ as the subject of your email and include:
- your business name and Single Business Identifier (SBI)
- your Sustainable Farming Incentive pilot application reference number
- a contact name and number
- the land parcel reference numbers to be removed, including sheet reference numbers and parcel IDs
Change a standard or ambition level
Email the RPA before you’re offered an agreement. Use ‘SFI pilot’ as the subject of your email and include:
- your business name and Single Business Identifier (SBI)
- your Sustainable Farming Incentive pilot application reference number
- a contact name and number
- the land parcel reference numbers affected by the change, including sheet reference numbers and parcel IDs
- the new standards and ambition levels to be applied to each land parcel
Request a mapping update
Examples of mapping updates include:
- permanent boundary changes, including hedges you’re using for the hedgerows standard
- land cover changes
Submit an RLE1 form as early as you can to request a mapping update for a land parcel.
If you email the form, use ‘SFI pilot – RLE1 form’ as the subject.
Email the RPA to confirm that your submitted application includes a land parcel that needs a mapping update. Use ‘SFI pilot – RLE1 form’ as the subject and include:
- your business name and Single Business Identifier (SBI)
- a contact name and number
Requesting a change to an agreement offer
Check your agreement offer carefully. If you need to request changes, you must do this within 15 working days of receiving it.
If you need more time, discuss it with the Rural Payments Agency.
To request changes to your agreement offer:
- Sign in to the Rural Payments service.
- From the ‘Environmental Land Management Applications and Agreements’ menu screen, select Edit your application.
- Select Reject Form.
- Explain the changes you are requesting in the text box that appears.
- When you are finished, select Save then Close.
- Under ‘Make/ manage your application’ select Reject.
Include all the changes you’re requesting and give the required information for each change, as explained in the sections that follow.
If any required information is missing, this may delay the start of your agreement.
If you request changes, you’ll get an email telling you when your updated agreement offer is ready for you to check.
You have 5 working days from when you receive the updated agreement offer to accept or reject it. If you need more time, discuss it with the Rural Payments Agency.
You’ll be able to download and view the updated agreement offer from the Rural Payments service.
Add a land parcel
To add a land parcel, in the ‘Reject Form’ text box, you should include:
- the land parcel reference numbers to be added, including sheet reference number and parcel ID
- the standards and ambition levels to be applied to each land parcel
You must also submit an RLE1 form as soon as possible if the land parcel is either:
- not registered
- registered but not linked to your Single Business Identifier (SBI)
If you’re emailing the RLE1 form, use ‘SFI pilot – RLE1 form’ as the subject.
We need to complete any mapping updates before an updated agreement offer can be issued. This will delay the start of your agreement.
Remove a land parcel
To remove a land parcel, you should include the land parcel reference numbers to be removed, including sheet reference number and parcel ID, in the ‘Reject Form’ text box.
Change a standard or ambition level
To add or remove standards or change levels of ambition, in the ‘Reject Form’ text box include:
- the land parcel reference numbers affected by the change, including sheet reference number and parcel ID
- the new standards and ambition levels to be applied to each land parcel
Request a mapping update
Examples of mapping updates include:
- permanent boundary changes, including hedges you’re using for the hedgerows standard
- land cover changes
If you’re requesting a mapping update for a land parcel already included in your agreement offer, explain this in the ‘Reject Form’ text box.
You must also submit an RLE1 form as early as possible. If you’re emailing the RLE1 form, use ‘SFI pilot – RLE1 form’ as the subject.
We need to complete any mapping updates before an updated agreement offer can be issued. This will delay the start of your agreement.
Contact the RPA
Send an email with ‘Sustainable farming incentive’ in the subject line to ruralpayments@defra.gov.uk
You can also call or write.
Rural Payments Agency
Telephone: 03000 200 301
Monday to Friday 8.30am to 5pm, except bank holidays
Find out about call charges
PO Box 352
Worksop
S80 9FG
