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Know How / Payments, schemes and grants

Support payments are a vital income stream for almost every farm business – whether they are delivered through the Basic Payment Scheme (BPS) or one of a range of agri-environment schemes.

This page offers the latest news on the main schemes operating across each of the devolved regions and also highlights other opportunities for farmers to access grant funds.

Key areas of focus:

  • Basic Payment Scheme developments
  • Agri-environment grant schemes
  • Grants to support equipment purchases
  • Rural development grant funding
  • Bursaries and scholarships

Case studies

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GRASSLAND MANAGEMENT

Why simple herbal ley mix benefits Durham mixed farm

Government clarification that growing one herb, one legume, and one grass together qualifies as a herbal ley under the Sustainable Farming Incentive is grist to the mill of a County…

ROTATIONS

How arable estate gets the best out of stewardship schemes

Agri-environment schemes have already provided resilience and risk management at Buckminster Farms, a large-scale farming business on the Leicestershire/Lincolnshire border. The challenge ahead is to integrate elements of the Sustainable…

CROP MANAGEMENT

Arable Insights farmers share how SFI fits into their businesses

How have our new group of Arable Insights farmers implemented SFI into their businesses, and what’s the latest in Scotland and Northern Ireland? West Midlands: Rob Atkin, Staffordshire Accepted on…

DAIRY

Calving dairy improves water management with funding grants

Cherry-picking options from three funding streams has helped a year-round calving dairy make targeted investments to improve water management in a critical catchment area. The Heaths at Red Earth Farm,…

ENVIRONMENTAL SCHEMES

How agriculture policies affect our Arable Insights farmers

Uncertainty still reigns over Scotland and Northern Ireland’s future agricultural policy, while English farmers are now able to apply for Sustainable Farming Incentive (SFI) income, albeit having had their Basic…

NUTRITION AND FERTILISER

How environmental rewards have come from a regen approach

The environmental impact of every input and field operation is considered before it becomes part of the regenerative system at Whitbread Farms, near Biggleswade in Bedfordshire. As a result, some…

Practical advice

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GRANTS

Farming grant funding in England: A comprehensive guide

A plethora of government grants and support payments is available for farm businesses in 2024. Charlie Reeve discovers what’s up for grabs from Defra and the Rural Payments Agency (RPA)…

BPS

Advice on the delinked payment transfer market

Farmers in England who want to transfer or sell any of their delinked payment reference data have only a short window in which to do so. The window for transfers…

BPS

BPS application tips and reminders for 2024

There are different approaches to the Basic Payment Scheme claims system in Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland, with changes this year in some nations that farmers need to be aware…

ARABLE

How to achieve success with IPM2 flower-rich margins in SFI

At £798/ha, IPM2 is one of highest paying Sustainable Farming Incentive (SFI) options and is attracting interest from lots of growers. But it also might be one of the trickiest…

FARM ENERGY

Solar grants for farms - what's covered and how to apply

The Improving Farm Productivity solar grant is designed to support the installation of solar equipment on farm roofs and reservoirs. It is part of Defra’s drive to improve energy resilience…

ARABLE

How to maximise performance of NUM3 legume fallows

A mix of familiar and new actions make up the Sustainable Farming Incentive offer launched last September, which seeks to protect and improve the farmed environment through various sustainable farming…

BPS calculator

BPS online calculator

Direct Payments in England will be phased out from 2021 to 2027 and details of the percentage reductions have now been released by Defra. Download this calculator, provided by Albert Goodman, to see how this affects you.

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Insights

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BEEF

Why radical change is needed for sustainable beef industry

Planning ahead to face upcoming issues and working to improve efficiency and build beef businesses with resilience were among the key conclusions from a round table discussion held at Rothamsted…

FARM POLICY

Fruit and veg fears as key support scheme set to go

Investing in innovations and new equipment is a challenge when an industry operates on wafer-thin margins, but if another party is footing half of the bill, it is much more…

ARABLE

How to succeed with the AHL2 winter bird food option in SFI

Filling the hungry gap for smaller farmland birds from late autumn through to late winter by providing a supply of small seeds on arable and horticultural land is the relatively…

ROTATIONS

SFI 2023: Tips on making it work on your farm

One in eight eligible farmers have now submitted a Sustainable Farming Incentive application, with more than 11,000 applications to the scheme and more than 100 farmers applying every day, according…

BUSINESS MANAGEMENT

Latest SFI offer: Greater ambition and premium payments

The greater flexibility on offer, and the opportunity to combine it with other existing agri-environment schemes, are both benefits of what we know about the Sustainable Farming Incentive (SFI) so…

PAYMENTS, SCHEMES AND GRANTS

SFI 2024: What farmers need to know

Defra secretary Steve Barclay has announced what he claims to be the biggest upgrade to UK farming schemes since Brexit. The Sustainable Farming Incentive (SFI), the first component of Environmental…

FARM POLICY

Outlook 2024: Farm policy on support in England and regions

Further farm support details are emerging which will help farm business in the UK to plan for change. There is still much to be made clear, however, on budgets and…