Shropshire Farming Talk: Navigating the agricultural transition
As we find ourselves at the mid-point of the government seven-year agricultural transition period and we reach the third irritation of the Sustainable Farming Incentive, it is fair to say that the last 12 months have not been plain sailing.
At the Oxford Farming Conference in January this year, Defra announced that 50 new SFI actions are due to be released this ‘summer’ as well as, on average, a 10% payment rate increase across the actions.
Whist these updates are generally welcome, there is a lack of detail on how actions will be met, managed and who will be eligible.
Decisions that will need to be made include should you apply now and access SFI payments as soon as possible or wait until a bigger more ambitious scheme could be applied for?
Whilst there will be numerous decision to be made every business is different and these must be assessed on a case-by-case basis. With an increased suite of actions with varying agreement lengths, careful planning will be required to ensure the scheme complements the cropping rotation for the next three years and also meets personal aspirations for the business.
This cropping season, a culmination of poor autumn establishment conditions and little news to inspire in the grain markets has certainly made the use of rotational SFI actions a somewhat attractive option for those looking to manage risk within their rotation.
If you are considering entering into SFI but unsure how it might work in your specific scenario, our team at Ceres Rural can offer free business advice through the Defra Future Farming Resilience Fund.
This funding could provide the opportunity one of our experts to discuss how the SFI could perhaps complement your existing farming system whilst considering any existing agreements you may already have.
To take advantage of this free advice contact us at futurefarming@ceresrural.co.uk.
By Toby Eve, of Ceres Rural
