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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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CROP MANAGEMENT

Why one Essex arable farm faces difficult decisions in 2025

Essex farmer Tom Streeter admits that he and his brother Will have some difficult decisions to make about the future of the family farming business, having looked at the details…

ARABLE

How SFI actions closely align with Herefordshire mixed farm

Chris Greenaway, farm manager at Garnstone Farms in Herefordshire is advising farmers to make the most of the Sustainable Farming Incentive (SFI), given the accelerated reduction in Basic Payment Scheme…

ARABLE

What the Budget means for new Arable Insights farmer panel

As farmers head to Westminster to protest at Budget measures affecting their businesses, including the unwelcome changes to inheritance tax, we look at the practical implications of the new regime…

ARABLE

No-till provides zero cost way into support scheme

Kent grower Richard Day is set to use his adoption of direct drilling and precision fertiliser techniques under new environment schemes to gain more than 40% of his old direct…

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…

Practical advice

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PAYMENTS, SCHEMES AND GRANTS

Advice on preparing early for new grant funding applications

A new round of standalone Countryside Stewardship (CS) Capital Grants 2025-26 will open this summer worth £45m and funding a significant proportion of the cost of a wide range of…

ENVIRONMENTAL SCHEMES

A guide to staying SFI compliant

Unlike more rigid support schemes of the past, the Sustainable Farming Incentive (SFI) is all about giving farmers greater flexibility to make actions work for their farm, while simultaneously delivering…

ARABLE

Tips on achieving healthy hedgerows on farm

Hedges are a defining feature of our countryside and one of the best habitats for wildlife on any farm.  Far more than being a boundary, they also support farm business…

ENVIRONMENTAL SCHEMES

Nutrient mitigation market merits careful consideration

Headlines about housebuilding being held up by environmental measures have abated to some extent, but the need to ensure that new development does not increase the nitrogen and phosphate loading…

ARABLE

How SFI grassy corners and blocks can work most effectively

Grassy corners and blocks are perhaps potentially one of simplest of all the Sustainable Farming Incentive (SFI) options to implement, but, as ever, to deliver the maximum benefit for the…

BUSINESS

How to bounce back from bad weather and drop in farm support

Labelled as a perfect storm, declining support payments, a new government, extreme weather and market disruption have combined to cause uncertainty and put incomes under pressure in 2024. Transition from…

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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PAYMENTS, SCHEMES AND GRANTS

Short window left for Welsh and NI entitlement trades

Farmers in Northern Ireland (NI) and Wales have just over a month to transfer any entitlements ahead of the 15 May deadline. The entitlements market in NI is expected to…

GRANTS

Rural England Prosperity Fund for diversifications extended

The Rural England Prosperity Fund (REPF) has been extended for another year, with £33m available to fund projects which will improve local infrastructure or support businesses in rural areas looking…

GRANTS

Grants available for farms in England's protected landscapes

Many farmers and landowners in England do not realise the wide variety of projects that can be funded by the Farming in Protected Landscapes (FIPL) programme. As well as preserving…

ENVIRONMENTAL SCHEMES

Farmers share how bombshell SFI closure will affect them

Defra’s abrupt closure of the Sustainable Farming Incentive (SFI) for new applicants has rightfully left farmers across England feeling frustrated and betrayed. Why did the Labour party decide to close…

ARABLE

How to get arable land ditches working for wildlife

There are 500,000km of ditches in the British countryside, reaching almost every corner of the land. Found in most parts of the lowlands and surprisingly far up in the hills,…

PAYMENTS, SCHEMES AND GRANTS

Welsh Sustainable Farming Scheme: All you need to know

A year later than expected, the stage is now set for a 2026 launch of the Sustainable Farming Scheme (SFS) in Wales. Beset by delays and a not insubstantial measure…

CROP MANAGEMENT

How low-input spring cereals SFI action may fit this spring

Low-input harvested spring cereal crops supported by the Sustainable Farming Incentive (SFI) action AHW10 could be a good option for growers in 2025, given the payment rate of £354/ha. Use…

PAYMENTS, SCHEMES AND GRANTS

Outlook 2025: Farm policy and support in England and regions

Across the regions, all eyes will be on farm support being offered in existing and new schemes. In 2025 Wales and Scotland will continue to receive BPS with England seeing…

MARKETS AND TRENDS

Private nature funding opportunities for farmers

Private investment funds have repeatedly claimed that billions of pounds are available to be invested in nature. However, so far, little has actually found its way into farmers’ pockets. One…

PAYMENTS, SCHEMES AND GRANTS

SFI 2024 update: All you need to know

Starting your Sustainable Farming Incentive (SFI) journey is becoming an increasingly urgent task for farm businesses looking to increase resilience and improve cashflow. SFI has been through multiple revisions since…

BUSINESS

How farms are generating income from the environment

Flood-prone land in west Norfolk that is difficult to farm productively is being turned into wetland – thanks to a mix of public funding and private investment. Using “blended finance”…

PAYMENTS, SCHEMES AND GRANTS

Scottish agricultural support scheme changes: What we know

The Scottish government has provided further detail on its post-Brexit farm support policy. Here consultants and policy experts give an insight into this summer’s update and their views on the…