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An update on the Sustainable Farming Incentive
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...

Doug Hobbs
Mar 121 min read


News March 2025 – Summary of recent Defra announcements
Timed around the NFU conference and the start of meteorological spring, Defra have put out a small suite of announcements since late...

Phil Humphrey
Mar 106 min read


14 new endorsed options for SFI coming in mid-2025
In December, Defra published a detailed draft of 14 additional ‘endorsed’ options for SFI, that should be available to apply for in the...

Phil Humphrey
Dec 30, 20241 min read


Changes to Inheritance Tax and Business Property Relief – Fair and Reasonable?
The changes proposed for inheritance tax (IHT) and business property tax relief (BPR) in the budget at the end of October have...

Phil Humphrey
Dec 24, 20243 min read


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

Phil Humphrey
Dec 17, 20243 min read
Guidance now available for improved Countryside Stewardship Higher Tier offer
A new post, “Guidance now available for improved Countryside Stewardship Higher Tier offer ” has just been published on the Defra Farming...

Doug Hobbs
Dec 12, 20241 min read


New gov.uk webpage summarising information about integrated pest management (IPM)
The government have produced a new webpage which summarises some principles of integrated pest management (IPM) and signposts readers to...

Phil Humphrey
Dec 2, 20241 min read


A bit more information for those with Higher Level stewardship schemes ending or partly ending in 2024 or 2025
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...

Phil Humphrey
Dec 2, 20243 min read


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

Phil Humphrey
Dec 2, 20241 min read


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

Greg Crawford
Dec 2, 20241 min read


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

Doug Hobbs
Nov 1, 20241 min read


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

Phil Humphrey
Oct 24, 20247 min read


Reimagining farming: How the Allerton Project is shaping a greener future for agriculture
I thought this recent blog from Joe Stanley at the GWCT eloquently describes his personal experiences with agri-environment schemes on...

Phil Humphrey
Oct 4, 20241 min read


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

Phil Humphrey
Aug 9, 20242 min read


Free support and advice about turtle dove habitat
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...

Doug Hobbs
Aug 8, 20249 min read


Latest DEFRA update
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...

Greg Crawford
Aug 6, 20242 min read


What’s the difference between SFI 2023 and SFI 2024?
SFI 2023 was closed to new applications on 10th June. General applications opened for SFI 2024 on 22nd July although currently, to apply...

Phil Humphrey
Aug 6, 20245 min read


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

Doug Hobbs
Jul 19, 20241 min read


SFI Ramblings
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...

Greg Crawford
Jul 8, 20245 min read


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

Greg Crawford
Jun 28, 20242 min read
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