Towards the Sustainable Farming Initiative

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Towards the Sustainable Farming Initiative – William Waterfield  (Andover) 

DEFRA recently announced the draft standards and payment rates for the first strand of the Sustainable Farming Initiative to be fully launched next year.  

The focus is on arable soils and will be voluntary but with reducing Basic Payment, this option may be one way to compensate for some of the lost income.  There will be three levels, each step progressively building on the previous step.  The scheme will probably not start until late 2022 but it is worth looking at how these options can be incorporated into your cropping and any existing stewardship options.   It is probable that this scheme will entail a five-year commitment.   

LevelPayment per hectare (ha)Actions
Introductory£26Complete a basic soil assessment Establish green cover over winter (5% area) Increase soil organic matter (10% area)
Intermediate£41  (Introductory plus £15)Complete a basic soil assessment Establish green cover over winter (10% area) Increase soil organic matter (15% area) Use no, low or min tillage techniques (25% area)
Advanced£60 (Intermediate plus £19)Complete a basic soil assessment Create a soil management plan Establish green cover over winter (15% area) Increase soil organic matter (20% area) Use no, low or min tillage techniques (25% area)

The basic requirement in year one will be to:

  1. Carry out a whole area assessment to include soil texture, slope and drainage, and connectivity to water course or sensitive habitats and then every year on 20% of the area to assess soil structure and carry out analysis for soil organic matter and soil biology (earthworm counts will be sufficient).
  2. Improve soil structure.  The initial soil assessment will inform where action is needed to improve soil structure.  This might include sub soiling or cultivation, the addition of organic matter or resting the field.
  3. Cover crops at the basic level, this is on 5% of the area and requires the establishment of a quick growing dense ground cover across the whole field for the winter period.  These crops should be targeted at areas identified in the soil assessment as being at most risk of erosion.

With BPS set to decline by up to £30/ha next year, a payment of at least £26.00 goes some way to compensate for this reduction.  If you want to know more, please contact William at w.waterfield@fcgagric.com or your local FCG Office.

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