https://defrafarming.blog.gov.uk/wet-weather-temporary-support-for-farmers-in-2024/
Wet weather: temporary support for farmers in 2024
We have introduced temporary adjustments where you may have had difficulty carrying out the requirements of your SFI Pilot agreements due to wet weather.
The start of these temporary adjustments take effect from 1 October 2023 and will be reviewed on 31 July 2024.
These temporary adjustments are for live agreements. They apply to individual actions to give you more time to establish or defer some activity. The tables below list the SFI Pilot actions that have temporary adjustments. The current requirement is shown, together with the temporary requirement adjustment.
We also recognise that some of you may have already attempted to meet agreement requirements which have been unsuccessful. The temporary adjustments will give you more time to re-establish any actions.
The SFI Pilot has groups of actions which form a Standard. You must meet all relevant actions (including any temporary adjustments applicable) to achieve the Standard.
The temporary adjustments apply automatically to the actions in the table below. You do not need to contact us to amend your agreement, but you should retain a copy of this announcement for your records.
You should also keep any evidence in case we need to see it. Evidence can include:
- farm records showing field operations at a land parcel level
- associated invoices and photographs of how you attempted the actions, and have been affected by the weather conditions
When you might need to contact us
You will need to request an adjustment to your agreement if:
- you do not believe you can meet the aims of the action within the temporary adjustments and extended timeframes
- the action affected is not listed
To let us know about a change of circumstance, you can use the SFI query form to do this.
Temporary adjustments to SFI Pilot actions
| Action Code | Adjustment requirements |
| Red | Not required to deliver that action for the remainder of the calendar year (until 1 January 2025). |
| Yellow | Must try or attempt action. Establishment of action does not need to be successful (for example, diverse swards, green cover, winter seed). Make notes in Journal what you did and what happened. |
| Orange | Attempt to meet specific requirements of action (for example, Sward heights rotational grazing and rest periods). Where not possible to meet specific requirements record in learning journal. |
| N/a | no easements apply, and the action should be delivered in full. |
SFI Pilot has groups of actions which form a standard. You must meet all actions to achieve the standards.
Table below show which actions within each standard will be impacted by the wet weather.
There are no impacts on delivering the Farm Woodland and Hedgerow Standards so no temporary adjustments apply to these Standards.
| SFI Standard | Action Required | Code | Adjustment Provision |
| Arable & Horticultural Land Standard | Provide resources for birds and pollinators on eligible land (Introductory, Intermediate, Advanced). | Yellow | Attempt to establish action. Record evidence in Journal. |
| Arable & Horticultural Land Standard | Support a wide range of farm wildlife | Yellow | Attempt to establish action. Record evidence in Journal. |
| Arable & Horticultural Land Standard | Manage ditches | Red | Not required to deliver action for remainder of year. Until 1 Jan 2025 |
| Arable & Horticultural Soils | Establish green cover | Yellow | Attempt to establish action. Record evidence in Journal. |
| Improved Grassland (Land) | Manage fields for grazing | Orange | Attempt to meet action requirements. Record evidence in journal. |
| Improved Grassland (Land) | Control cutting on silage fields | Orange | Attempt to meet action requirements. Record evidence in journal. |
| Improved Grassland (Land) | Manage ditches | Red | Not required to deliver action for remainder of year. Until 1 Jan 2025. |
| Improved Grassland (Land) | Introduce clover and other legumes on improved grassland (Intermediate, Advanced). | Orange | Attempt to meet action requirements. Record evidence in journal. |
| Improved Grassland soils | Add or retain a mix of legumes, herbs and grasses | Orange | Attempt to meet action requirements. Record evidence in journal. |
| Low and no input grassland | Leave margins uncut | Orange | Attempt to meet action requirements. Record evidence in journal. |
| Low and no input grassland | Manage ditches | Red | Not required to deliver action for remainder of year. Until 1 Jan 2025. |
| Low and no input grassland | Manage fields for grazing | Orange | Attempt to meet action requirements. Record evidence in journal. |
| Waterbody Buffering | Establish grass buffer strips | Yellow | Attempt to establish action. Record evidence in journal. |
| Farm Woodland | No easements apply | N/a | Not impacted. Implement all actions. |
| Hedgerows | No easements apply | N/a | Not impacted. Implement all actions. |
