News and views

There is some good news and nbad news about SFI The Good News The government has committed £5 billion over 2 years to sustainable farming...

Timed around the NFU conference and the start of meteorological spring, Defra have put out a small suite of announcements since late...

In December, Defra published a detailed draft of 14 additional ‘endorsed’ options for SFI, that should be available to apply for in the...

The changes proposed for inheritance tax (IHT) and business property tax relief (BPR) in the budget at the end of October have...

Guidance on actions and payment rates for Countryside Stewardship Higher Tier (CSHT) applications and details of preparation plans and...

A new post, “Guidance now available for improved Countryside Stewardship Higher Tier offer ” has just been published on the Defra Farming...

The government have produced a new webpage which summarises some principles of integrated pest management (IPM) and signposts readers to...

A lack of information about this has been a frustration for many land managers who feel they are already ‘doing the right thing’ for a...

RPA announcement regarding the reduction in direct payments (delinked BPS payments) in 2025. Rates for 2026 and 2027 have yet to be...

DEFRA has announced the temporary closure of the main capital grant offer, attributing ever increasing demand over the last couple of...

In the latest Spotlight research publication from Savills they explore the challenge farmers and land managers are facing with water...

SFI 2023 was closed to new applications on 10th June. General applications were opened for SFI 2024 on 22nd July. So, what’s the...

I thought this recent blog from Joe Stanley at the GWCT eloquently describes his personal experiences with agri-environment schemes on...

Steve Reed, the new Secretary of State for Defra has announced an initial direction of travel and priorities. Fuller details are...

There are lots of good options in SFI 2024 to help nature thrive in the farmed environment in this article we look at one specific...

Over the last month DEFRA has been welcoming the new ministerial team headed up by Steve Reed, the Secretary of State, and at long last...

SFI 2023 was closed to new applications on 10th June. General applications opened for SFI 2024 on 22nd July although currently, to apply...

AHDB have published an article on their website looking at the effects of stacking the SFI 2024 options on the AHDB virtual farms with...

Having spent a lot of time on farms over the past 18months looking at SFI specifically, I thought it was about time to put together an...

With an election in progress Defra have gone quiet in terms of public announcements but in the background, things are progressing with...