The first new support scheme to be made available to all farmers in England since Brexit has opened for applications.

The Sustainable Farming Incentive (SFI) initially includes three standards which depend on the type of land being farmed, with two different payment rates available within each standard.

For example, under the improved grassland soils standard, a total annual payment of £11/acre is paid under the introductory level and £23/acre is available under the intermediate level.

Requirements under the introductory level include completing a soil management plan, testing soils for organic matter and having less than 5% of land left bare over the winter.

For the intermediate payment, farmers must comply with the three introductory actions and have at least 15% of land sown out in a mix of grasses, legumes, and herbs.

Two other SFI standards, which relate to arable soils and moorland, are available in 2022. The plan is for more SFI standards to be rolled out in the coming years as Basic Payments in England are gradually cut, and the full set of standards will be available by 2025.

Quarterly payment

In a break from traditional EU schemes, payments under SFI will be issued quarterly and there is no set application window, so farmers can join the scheme whenever they choose.

Funding is also currently available under SFI to cover the cost of an annual visit by a local vet to update a herd or flock health plan.

Other schemes

SFI is to be one of three schemes available under the Environmental Land Management programme, which will replace the EU’s Basic Payment Scheme in England only.

The other two are Local Nature Recovery, which will promote collaborative environmental work between neighbouring farmers, and Landscape Recovery, which will incentivise tree planting, peatland restoration, and so-called rewilding.

Agriculture is a devolved matter in the UK government, so NI, Scotland and Wales are setting their own post-Brexit support schemes for farmers.