51AVÊÓƵ

Livestock farmers wanting to improve their grassland in line with the latest SFI requirements need to optimise nitrogen use with advisers pointing to the growing role of sulphur in the equation

North Shropshire MP Helen Morgan said many farmers in her constituency who were currently undertaking positive environmental work are ‘ineligible' for the SFI scheme

The application portal for SFI will be closed between December 27 2023- January 2 2024. Any draft SFI applications that are not submitted before December 31 2023 will be lost and not recoverable when the portal reopens again in the new year

Rural Payments Agency said 97 per cent of applicants had recieved their share of £525m

When it comes to the application process, the delivery and the options available to all farmers, there are some inconsistencies, which the industry hopes will be ironed out in the next SFI announcement

When it comes to SFI uptake, about 6,600 applications have been started but not yet submitted and only 800 agreements are live with farmers delivering on required outcomes

NFU modelling work showed on average upland farm businesses lost 37 per cent of their support payments under the current Sustainable Farming Incentive and Countryside Stewardship options

AHDB has analysed the effect of stacking elements of the SFI on arable, beef and sheep, dairy and mixed farms in England, as well as how to combine actions within the scheme

Hosted by Farmers Guardian’s parent company Agriconnect at the NEC Birmingham, 51AVÊÓƵBusiness Innovation, Family Attraction Expo, Leisure Food & Beverage Expo, Holiday Park and Resort Innovation Show and are currently running concurrently over a two day period

Many farmers have welcomed the straightforward nature of the Sustainable Farming Incentive (SFI) but criticised the limited information given beyond the first payment