Government Updates

Yet another blow to the farming industry was dealt this week, as the government announced the closure of the Sustainable farming Incentive.  This is just one of many announcements released in the last few weeks by DEFRA. I hope the summary below will provide some clarity of the potential funding opportunities available to farmers and what the sudden closure of SFI means going forward.

Sustainable Farming Incentive

The Sustainable Farming Incentive was closed on Tuesday as The SFI budget for 2024-2025 and 2025-2026 has been committed. The government has committed to honouring all existing schemes with every penny paid to farmers for the full agreement period. Any applications submitted prior to the closure of the scheme will be processed and agreements will be offered providing it is eligible. For those waiting for agreement offers, it is important to keep an eye on your RPA notifications as you must accept the offer within 10 working days otherwise it may be withdrawn. If you were in the process of applying for an SFI agreement, you will unfortunately no longer be able to submit the application aside from a small number of exceptions, for example if you had technical issues or were part of the SFI pilot agreement holders. The government has announced their intention to reset with a reformed SFI, the details of which will be announced in Summer 2025. To read more please click here.

Return of Capital Grants

In Late February the Government announced the return of Capital Grants, placed on hold at the end of November 2024. The scheme will re-open with some reforms once all those placed on hold have been processed. If you placed an application after 5pm on the 26th November you will need to re-apply when the scheme re-opens. Across each of the categories you can apply for, price caps are now in place of up to £25,000 for Water quality, Air Quality and Natural Flood Management, and £35,000 for Boundaries/Trees and Orchards. It is possible to apply for more than one category but only one capital application can be made per SBI. The changes will apply only from when the scheme re-opens, not for the applications placed on hold. No clear data has been set out for when the scheme will re-open to all, but we shall notify the group as and when it opens. To read more please click here.

An Update on CSHT and HLS

The Government have announced their intention to increase Higher Level Stewardship Payment rates for existing agreement holders. The Change will be implemented from the 2025 claim year on receipt of their usual claim payment in December 2025. A table will be published as soon as possible outlining  the new payment rates for each option and agreement holders will be written to in April and informed on what the change means for their specific application.

With regards to Higher tier, the government re-iterated that new applications to the scheme is by invitation only with more information on the wider roll-out to be published in the summer. In the meantime, aspiring applicants can still make progress towards entering the scheme by undertaking the pre-application process, which involves working with Natural England and the Forestry Commission, who can advise you on what your higher tier application could look like. To support pre-application you can apply to capital grants that will help you develop the necessary support for an HT application. These include PA1 (implementation plan), PA2 (Feasibility Study), PA3 (Woodland Management Plan), PA4 (Agro-forestry Plan), PA5 (Moorland Mapping), PA7 (Species Management Plan). To find out more please click here.

Farming in Protected Landscapes

The FIPL projected has been extended to March 2026 for grants in National Parks and National Landscapes. The FIPL grant supports projects which work towards achieving one or more of the 4 aims: Natrue Recovery; Climate Change; Cultural Heritage and; access and enjoyment. The FIPL scheme has been given an extra £30 million of funding to build on the existing 4,600 successful projects with over 7,000 participating farmers.

Animal Health and Welfare Pathway

The animal health and welfare pathway funds annual vet visits and follow ups to farmers in England. The pathway is now available to farmers looking to fund more than one species. The follow ups are still optional and up to 3 reviews and follow ups are available per species. In order to apply you will need an SBI (Single Business Identifier) linked to a CPH (County Parish Holding Number) and own: 11 or more cattle; 21 or more sheep and; 51 or more pigs. To find out more including how much will be paid pre species please click here.

Return of Productivity Grants

Productivity grants are set to return this spring in an exciting 3-branch format.

Firstly, a new round of Farming Equipment and Technology Fund is set to be re-launched this spring with grants between £1,000 and £25,000 up for grabs. In total the government have allocated £30 million towards productivity and slurry grants, and £16,7 million towards animal health and welfare.

Secondly, the Farming Innovation Programme is intended to boost progress in the creation of agricultural methods and technologies. The fund will be delivered through a competition format. The first competition will focus on advancing genetic technologies with a total of £12.5 million up for grabs. The second will focus on improving Net-zero farming techniques with a further £12.5 million allocated. The final competition format will focus on industry led competitions with a total of £17.5 million allocated.

Finally, the Accelerating Development of Practices and Technologies Fund (ADOPT) is set to launch this spring with the aim of facilitating the trial of new technology on farm. ADOPT will be able to fund projects between £50,000 and £100,000 in size. To ensure greater access to ADOPT a bespoke support hub led by RSK ADAS has been created to support farmers with the help of the UK Agri Tech Centre and Soil Association. To find out more please click here.