The Government has announced that the Sustainable Farming Incentive (SFI), which is a key part of the Government’s Environmental Land Management schemes, is to be accelerated. Six new standards are set to be added to the scheme for 2023.
The accelerated rollout of the SFI will provide farmers with a diverse range of paid actions to manage hedgerows for wildlife, plant nectar-rich wildflowers and manage crop pests without the use of insecticides.
According to the Government, the incentives will make food production more resilient and efficient over the longer term and will contribute towards the UK’s environmental goals on carbon, biodiversity, water quality and net zero.
Meanwhile, the six new standards, which build on the three existing standards introduced in 2022 to improve soil health and moorlands, include payments for actions on hedgerows, grassland, arable and horticultural land, pest management and nutrient management.
The Government has also detailed what farmers will be paid to deliver through an enhanced version of the Countryside Stewardship scheme, which will see around 30 additional actions available to farmers by the end of 2024.
The expansion builds on the more than 250 actions farmers can take at present with the scheme seeing a 94 per cent increase in uptake since 2020 and is now part of thousands of farm businesses.
The industry has largely welcomed the strengthening of this year’s SFI, saying it provides much-needed clarity for farmers planning their businesses.
As a spokeswoman for the Tenant Farmers Association commented, there should be something for everyone in the proposals. Although, she added that the “devil will be in the detail” on how the proposals will actually work and whether payments will be generous enough to attract enough farmers to help the Government meet its environmental goals.
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