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The Annual Health and Welfare Review: rolling out yearly vet visits

Posted by: , Posted on: - Categories: Guest post, Payments to improve animal health and welfare
Vet and farmer in conversation

At around this time last year, I wrote a post introducing the Animal Health and Welfare Pathway. I’m pleased to tell you that the first step on the Pathway, the SFI Annual Health and Welfare Review, is now ready to be rolled out. In this post, I'll explain how to register for a funded annual visit from your chosen vet or team of vets.

Tree Health Pilot: our improvements and progress

Posted by: , Posted on: - Categories: Payments to improve tree health
A diseased tree with Phytophthora ramorum.

The Tree Health Pilot is a 3-year scheme which tests different ways of slowing the spread of tree pests and diseases as well as building the resilience of trees across England. Using what we’ve learned so far from testing and feedback, we’ve made a number of improvements to better support land managers to deal with tree pests and diseases. In this post, I’d like to share a short summary of pilot and the changes we’ve made to the scheme.

Introducing SFI Management Payments and changes to Countryside Stewardship rates

Posted by: , Posted on: - Categories: Countryside Stewardship, Sustainable Farming Incentive, Things we've learned
Winter scene on the Killerton estate by Alison Day

In this, the first blog post of the year, I’d like to share two updates with you and explain the rationale behind them. The first update is a change to Countryside Stewardship payment rates. The second is the introduction of the Sustainable Farming Incentive Management Payment.

An update on the first round of Landscape Recovery projects

Posted by: , Posted on: - Categories: A view from the farm, Payments to restore landscapes and ecosystems
Darent Valley Farm Cluster.

In summer, we announced the 22 projects chosen for the first round of Landscape Recovery. We initially said we would recruit up to 15 projects, but we were so impressed with the quality of applications that we ended up extending this to 22. In this post, I’ll share more about the projects, including how they were assessed and selected.

Free business advice: latest list of providers

Posted by: , Posted on: - Categories: Future Farming and Countryside Programme, Transition support
Wild flower meadow in Somerset

Through the Future Farming Resilience Fund, any farmer or land manager in England who receives BPS (Basic Payment Scheme payments) is eligible to receive free business advice. In this post, I share the latest list of advice providers and explain how to get in touch.

Apply for share of £16.5 million innovation funding

Posted by: , Posted on: - Categories: Payments for research and innovation

From the end of this month, £16.5 million will be available through 2 new research and development competitions. There is no set theme for these competitions as we don’t want to create barriers to innovation. However, all projects must focus on improving the productivity, environmental sustainability and resilience of England’s agricultural, horticultural and forestry sectors.  In this post, I'll give an overview and an update on the previous rounds.

Common land test and trial: findings from the field

Over the past 2 years, the Foundation for Common Land, in collaboration with the Federation of Cumbria Commoners, delivered a tests and trials project to look at commons. In this guest post, Professor Julia Aglionby shares their work which explored how environmental land management schemes should be developed to support commons.  

Future Farming Podcast: everything you need to know about the Sustainable Farming Incentive

Future Farming Podcast: Martin Lines and Jonathan Marsden

In the latest episode of the Future Farming Podcast, Cambridgeshire farmer Martin Lines and Sustainable Farming Incentive lead Jonathan Marsden talk all things Sustainable Farming Incentive (SFI) and environmental land management.

Apply for the Sustainable Farming Incentive

The Sustainable Farming Incentive (SFI) is now open for applications via the Rural Payments service. Through the SFI, farmers will be paid for looking after the natural environment in the course of their farming. This initial offer will pay farmers for taking care of their soil or assessing the condition of moorland. In this post, we'll share more about the application process.