Defra has announced changes to several Sustainable Farming Incentive (SFI) actions following industry lobbying.
One of the most significant changes is that the legume fallow option has now been made rotational.
There is still the expectation from Defra that there’s an established legume fallow with plants on the ground over winter.
But the new change offers farmers more flexibility while still being able to take part in the SFI action.
The NFU, which lobbied Defra for the changes, said they were 'welcome' and a 'positive step' in restoring farmer confidence.
“Following NFU lobbying, legume fallow such as the seed mix CNUM3, has been secured as a rotational action within SFI," NFU vice president, David Exwood said.
"This is good news and will not only provide a payment but give arable farmers greater flexibility to produce food alongside delivering for the environment. However, farmers will be unable to graze livestock.
“We are continuing to go through the details of the other SFI actions announced to make sure they work for all farming sectors.”
For those in the uplands, the SFI update still fails to deliver. There is a only glimmer among the detail, which is that Defra has announced a new ‘Moorland mapping (PA5)’ capital grant at a payment of £918.08 per agreement.
Commenting on this, Mr Exwood said: “We still have significant concerns around scheme details and how they work for farmers, particularly for our upland members. We will continue to work to get this right.”
More detail on the SFI upland changes are expected to be announced in the coming days.
