The Sustainable Farming Incentive (SFI), the first of three new environmental land management schemes being introduced under the Agricultural Transition Plan, has opened for applications in England.
The SFI will open, initially, with two soil standards and a Moorland standard. It will be expanded over the next three years as direct payments are reduced, with the full set of standards in place by 2025.
Defra said it was designed to be accessible, and will reward sustainable practices which support food production and benefit the environment. The scheme is available to all farmers who currently receive Basic Payment Scheme (BPS) payments, thereby excluding some pig producers, however.
- A summary of the Sustainable Farming Incentive in 2022 is available HERE
- Guidance video on how to apply is available HERE
Annual Health and Welfare Review
Defra will also start testing the first annual health and welfare reviews over summer 2022. It says it will steadily increase these by invitation over the summer before opening to eligible keepers in autumn 2022.
The reviews are free vet visits, funded by the Government, although, initially at least, they will be restricted to BPS claimants.
You can read more about the vet visits HERE