Sustainable Farming Incentive opens for applications
5th Jul 2022 / By Alistair Driver
The Sustainable Farming Incentive (SFI) has opened for applications in England.
The scheme is available to all farmers who currently receive BasicPayment Scheme (BPS) payments, thereby excluding some pig producers.
Defra said it was designed to be accessible, and will reward sustainable practices which support food production and benefit the environment.
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 ofstandards in place by 2025.
It is the first of three new environmental land management schemes being introduced under the Agricultural Transition Plan.
- A summary of the Sustainable Farming Incentive in 2022 is available: https://www.gov.uk/
guidance/a-summary-of-the-sfi- in-2022 - How to apply online for an SFI standards agreement on land outside a common
- Guidance video on how to apply is available here: https://www.youtube.com/
watch?v=_YYlM6hCVGs
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