SUSTAINABLE FARMING INCENTIVE – PILOT SCHEME ELMS 25-6-2021 – CAPITAL ITEMS

These details are taken from the SFI Pilot Scheme. Whilst all invitations onto this pilot have now been sent and the period for expressing interest is closed, we are providing this information as it may prove informative of what will come in future years. It is unlikely that the full roll-out of the SFI in 2024 will remain the same as the pilot in 2021 and we would expect both the actions required and payment for completing them to alter as the scheme is refined.

This also applies to what Capital Items are available. The pilot will use an application system with payment rates based on the Countryside Stewardship Capital Grants Scheme. We believe future iterations of SFI will continue to offer capital item payments, but this is subject to confirmation. We expect that the application system will be at least somewhat different to Countryside stewardship once the scheme is fully operational, but we cannot yet say in what way. The following should be read with this in mind and used as a taste for what is to come. We aim to update and share what we learn, with our clients, as the pilot progresses and further forms of SFI are introduced.

GRANTS

Grants of up to £60,000 are available to help with the actions in applying SFI standards, with a limit of £20,000 within each capital item option group (the groups are water quality, air quality and boundaries). This will be applied for via the Countryside Stewardship Capital Grants Scheme claimed back from DEFRA once the item is paid for. Details of eligible capital items are listed in the link for each standard.

Claimants can apply for funding for the following capital items under each standard:

1. ARABLE AND HORTICULTURAL: SOILS STANDARD

• resurfacing of gateways – £92 per gateway
• livestock and machinery hardcore tracks – £33 per metre

Funding may also be available from other programmes to buy equipment and machinery for: low ground pressure tyres; reducing the weight of field machinery; direct drilling into crop stubble or cover crops; minimum-tillage or no-tillage cultivation; and controlled traffic farming (CTF) (Tier 1)

2. ARABLE AND HORTICULTURAL: LAND STANDARD

• rainwater goods – £11.40 per metre
• storage tanks underground – £350 per cubic metre
• above ground tanks – £100 per cubic metre
• first flush rainwater and downpipe filters – £125 per unit
• lined biobed plus pesticide loading and washdown area – £118 per square metre
• lined biobed with existing washdown area – £77 per square metre
• biofilters – £990 per unit
• sprayer or applicator load and washdown area – £40 per square metre
• roofing – £62 per square metre
• small wildlife box – £28.50 per box
• medium wildlife box – £39 per box
• large wildlife box – £100 per box

You may also be able to get funding from other programmes for precision fertilizer application equipment.

3. IMPROVED GRASSLAND STANDARD

• fencing – £4.00 per metre
• sheep netting – £4.90 per metre
• permanent electric fencing – £4.90 per metre
• rabbit fencing supplement – £2.50 per metre
• fencing supplement – difficult sites – £1.24 per metre
• wooden field gate – £390 per gate
• small wildlife box – £28.50 per box
• medium wildlife box – £39 per box
• large wildlife box – £100 per box

Funding may also be available from other programmes for precision fertilizer application equipment.

4. IMPROVED GRASSLAND: SOILS STANDARD

• resurface gateways – £92 per gateway
• livestock and machinery hardcore tracks – £33 per metre

Funding may also be available from other programmes to buy equipment and machinery for low ground pressure tyres; reducing the weight of field machinery; direct drilling into crop stubble or cover crops; minimum-tillage or no-tillage cultivation; and controlled traffic farming (CTF) (Tier 1).

5. WATER BODY BUFFERING STANDARD

• fencing – £4.00 per metre
• sheep netting – £4.90 per metre
• permanent electric fencing – £4.90 per metre
• wooden field gate – £390 per gate
• hard bases for livestock drinkers – £110 per base
• pasture pumps and associated pipework – £220 per pump
• ram pumps and associated pipework – £1,480 per pump
• livestock troughs – £110 per trough
• pipework associated with livestock troughs – £2.65 per metre

6. HEDGEROWS STANDARD

• supply and plant tree – £1.28 per tree, for new woodland – up to £6,800 per ha
• supplement for use of individual tree-shelters – £1.60 per unit
• planting new hedges – £11.60 per metre
• hedgerow gapping-up – £9.50 per metre
• fencing – £4.00 per metre
• sheep netting – £4.90 per metre
• hedgerow laying – £9.40 per metre
• hedgerow coppicing – £4 per metre
• hedgerow supplement – top binding and staking – £3.40 per metre
• small wildlife box – £28.50 per box
• medium wildlife box – £39 per box
• large wildlife box – £100 per box

7. LOW AND NO INPUT GRASSLAND STANDARD

• fencing – £4.00 per metre
• sheep netting – £4.90 per metre
• permanent electric fencing – £4.90 per metre
• rabbit fencing supplement – £2.50 per metre
• fencing supplement – difficult sites – £1.24 per metre
• wooden field gate – £390 per gate

8. FARM WOODLAND STANDARD

• top wiring – stone wall – £3.60 per metre
• fencing – £4.00 per metre
• sheep netting – £4.90 per metre
• rabbit fencing supplement – £2.50 per metre
• fencing supplement for difficult sites – £1.24 per metre
• deer fencing – £7.20 per metre
• temporary deer fencing – £5.20 per metre
• wooden field gate – £390 per gate
• badger gate – £135 per gate
• deer pedestrian gate – £271.50 per gate
• deer vehicle gate – £344.60 per gate
• supply and plant a tree – £1.28 per tree, for creating new woodland – up to £6,800 per ha
• supplement for use of individual tree-shelters – £1.60 per unit