Horizon blog: More guidance released on the Sustainable Farming Incentive

On March 30^th, Defra announced a package of support for farmers ahead of the coming growing season which includes further guidance on the Sustainable Farming Incentive.

AHDB have examined the SFI in detail, in collaboration with Harper Adams University to first look at farmers attitudes towards the scheme and their reasons for participation or otherwise, as well as their plans for mitigation for the loss of direct payments, and second, to examine what affect participation in SFI will have on farmers’ bottom lines. This work will be published very shortly.

As part of this piece of analysis, we have worked with Defra and the Future Farming team to feed back our findings. We are delighted that our feedback has been well received and information has now been provided around the guidance for each standard and the application process. It is imperative that farmers fully understand the actions required and the cost of those actions for participation in the scheme to enable them to assess whether it is appropriate for their farm business, so any additional clarity in this area is welcomed.

For more information on the full range of measures announced, please click here.