Property consultancy Carter Jonas is urging landowners to prepare for the reopening of the Sustainable Farming Incentive (SFI) later this month.
It says that businesses that fail to prepare will risk missing out on funding opportunities, especially as it is likely to be highly competitive.
Chris Turner, partner, says that farms should already be reviewing options.
“We currently await opening of the June round of Sustainable Farming Incentive, which will be available to farms under 50ha and where there is no other Environmental Land Management revenue agreement.
“Defra has published the headline rates for the reduced number of options, but not as yet updated prescriptions, although they are likely to be generally very comparable.”
Strong demand is expected during the wider opening, especially as commodity prices continue to be squeezed.
“All agreements will be subject to the overall cap of £100,000 per annum and area limits relating to the holding.
“While the temptation to wait for a full picture is understandable, doing nothing is the last thing that landowners should consider,” says Chris.
He advises that businesses start reviewing likely options and model agreements up to the £100,000 annual cap, with draft applications ready to submit when the window opens. It’s also vital that Rural Payments Agency data is up to date.
“Update land use, boundaries, and holding links on the RPA portal now,” says Chris. “Rural Payments Service changes are quiet today, but they won’t be once guidance drops.”
Existing environmental features should also be protected, even with gaps between schemes. “There may be no active agreement in place requiring features to be maintained after agreements end, and no BPS annual land-use return to evidence where features existed,” says Chris.
“Where margins, corridors and other key features already exist, businesses should plan carefully before making changes.”