Shropshire Farming Talk: Making the most of what’s on offer to farmers
Now that Basic Payment Scheme (BPS) payments are phasing out, farmers need to ensure they are making the most of the schemes and grants available to replace their lost income.
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The remaining BPS subsidy will be paid automatically in June and December each year until the Scheme closes in 2027.
Firstly, for those in an existing Countryside Stewardship Scheme (CSS), don’t forget to submit your annual claim form by midnight on May 15. Now that an annual BPS application doesn’t need to be submitted, this could easily be forgotten.
Secondly, if you haven’t already and are eligible to do so, enter into the Sustainable Farming Incentive, a new Government scheme which pays farmers for undertaking actions that protect and improve the environment.
The scheme has something on offer for every type of farming business. The current scheme has 23 actions to choose from, including herbal lays, flower rich margins, grassy field corners, multi-species winter cover crops, companion cropping and low input grassland, to name a few.
Agreements are for three years, with payments made quarterly. The application window is open all year round and, this summer, DEFRA is going to combine CSS and SFI to allow farmers to be more flexible and develop a scheme combining options from both.
Thirdly, other support currently available to farming businesses includes the Farming Equipment and Technology Fund. Farmers can apply for grants towards animal health and welfare items, from cattle handling systems and poultry perches to cameras for monitoring livestock. You can apply for between £1,000 and £25,000 and applications need to be in by May 1, so you need to act fast!
Finally, grants coming out in the summer and autumn include funding for laying hen and pullet farmers to improve or replace existing housing, as well as upgrades to cattle housing for cattle aged six months and over and the slurry infrastructure grant.
If you need any advice or assistance with any of the above schemes or grants, contact our Rural Professional teams at Shrewsbury or Kidderminster on 01743 450700 or 01562 820880.
by Anne-Marie Brettell, Associate Director and Head of Professional Valuations and Infrastructure at Halls in Shrewsbury
