News

The RPA have provided further information about the BPS Delinked payment. Whilst payment rates are yet to be confirmed, other important detail has been given: The reference period for Delinkage is now 2020-2022. This means that entitlements bought for the current scheme year will be factored into the Delinked payment. Each year’s Delinkage payment will…

Details have been announced today of the Lump Sum Exit Scheme (aka the “retirement lump sum”), including eligibility requirements and the application window, which are summarised here. If you have given up land since 2020 the scheme is worth considering: The value of the payment will be calculated from a reference period, which will be…

DEFRA have launched a Biodiversity Net Gain (BNG) consultation, open until April this year. Whilst the proposals remain subject to approval, they explain how the Government might implement and monitor the 10% net gain of biodiversity, which is set to become a requirement for planning permission in England by late 2023. Some local authorities have…

Following an emotive build-up, when proposed details for consultation of the BPS retirement lump sum were finally released last summer the response was rather subdued. Instead of the large pay-out many were expecting, the actual figure was to be a 2.35 multiplier of the average BPS claim from 2018 to 2020. Moreover, there was a possible mechanism for reducing this if any entitlements had…

We have now published our UK Markets 2021 report. As BPS is entering its penultimate claim year, and the first claims begin under ELMS (Environmental Land Management Schemes), this report now covers fifteen established and emerging markets. These include BPS Entitlements and also Environmental Credits. For an idea of the additional income possible from Environmental…

Now that the UK has left the European Union, DEFRA has been able to make modifications to the agricultural subsidy system. So far, this has mostly been through the well-publicised ELMS and Farming Investment Fund, and the reduction of the BPS. Until now, Countryside Stewardship has been relatively unaffected and relatively unmentioned. However, last week…

As farmers and landowners plan for the wider rollout of the Sustainable Farming Incentive (SFI) this year, the Government have released further details on the two remaining aspects of the Environmental Land Management Scheme (ELMS). Local Nature Recovery Local Nature Recovery (LNR) will eventually replace Countryside Stewardship albeit on a grander scale. Whilst agreements may…

DEFRA have announced further details of the wider SFI rollout including payment rates and required actions. Whilst there is some commentary that the scheme is not paying enough and others are saying the actions do not go far enough, we are starting to see how the future of sustainable farming will take shape. It is…

The Environment Act has received Royal Assent in a UK agricultural market uncertain about its financial future. Basic Payment reductions will bite even deeper next year taking 20-40% of the 2020 rate. This combined with the worldwide focus on climate change following COP26 has created a surge of interest in land-based “Natural Capital”. The next couple of years will see the Government facilitate the emerging market in farm environmental services for the “public…

One might be forgiven for looking with trepidation at the latest news from Glasgow’s most recent diplomatic circus. What are the implications of that global methane reduction agreement? Will the commitment to ending deforestation affect feed prices? Should I worry about this carbon tax George Eustice mentioned in passing? We are more optimistic. There is scope here for…