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Department for Environment, Food & Rural Affairs

Spotlight on new actions: agroforestry and improvements to our trees and woodland offer

Posted by: , Posted on: - Categories: Payments to plant trees and manage woodland, Sustainable Farming Incentive
Sheep grazing among young trees

The Agricultural Transition Plan update includes the full range of new and updated Sustainable Farming Incentive (SFI) actions and the payment rates available in 2024. In this post, we focus on the new agroforestry actions and include improvements to the Countryside Stewardship (CS) offer for trees and woodlands.

Woodland creation: supporting your business and the environment

Posted by: , Posted on: - Categories: Payments to plant trees and manage woodland
Two people talk in a countryside setting with tree in the background.

If you are a farmer or landowner in England, you can apply for woodland creation grants to support tree planting projects of all shapes and sizes. In this post, we’ll explain how planting the right trees in the right place can diversify your business, boost income, support food production, and enhance the environment. We’ll also share links for you to find out about the grants on offer.  

How we're supporting hedgerows

Posted by: , Posted on: - Categories: Farm visits, Payments to improve tree health, Payments to plant trees and manage woodland

Last month, members of the team gathered at Hockey’s Farm in Hampshire situated on the edge of the New Forest. Together, we planted 1,500 small trees to establish a new native hedgerow across pastural farmland. In this post, I'll share more about the day and some of the ways through which we're supporting hedgerows in our schemes.

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About us

This blog is managed by Defra’s Farming and Countryside Programme.

On this blog, we explain the reforms to agricultural policy in England.

We share what we’re working on, what we’re learning and how you can get involved.

Find out more

New: drafts of further endorsed SFI actions

We’ve published drafts of an additional 14 SFI endorsed actions. Once we take stakeholder feedback on board, we expect these actions to be available from summer 2025.

Talk to us

On 9-10 January we’re at the Oxford Farming Conference and the Oxford Real Farming Conference.

Come and say hello to our team.

You can also find us at these agricultural shows and conferences in 2025.

Funding for farmers, growers and land managers in England

GOV.UK is the place to find official guidance and information.

Funding for farmers, growers and land managers sets out every payment on offer with links to learn more.

Get advice

The Farming Resilience Fund provides free, independent business support to farmers. If you’ve received direct payments since October 2022, you’re eligible. 

The Farming Advice Service (FAS) provide free, confidential advice to farmers and advisers.

Catchment Sensitive Farming (CSF) helps farmers in England protect water, air and soil. CSF advisers can provide advice on best practices and specific SFI actions that will benefit your farm business and the environment.

We’ve compiled a list of organisations offering wellbeing support to those in the farming community.

The Sustainable Farming Incentive

Thumbnail image showing link to SFI site - farmer in foreground and cows behind.

Find out how SFI can work for you.

Webinars in 2025

Attend upcoming webinars and watch recordings.

BPS and delinked payments

Basic Payment Scheme (BPS) in England will be replaced with delinked payments in 2024.

Learn how they’re calculated and who’s eligible.

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