Sustainable Farming Incentive and Delinked Basic Payments Update
Sustainable Farming Incentive (SFI)
To submit an SFI application you no longer need to make an initial expression of interest. The application window is open and in our experience over the past few weeks the RPA are turning around applications and awarding agreements within a number of days.
For example, an application that was submitted 7th November was awarded an Agreement on 9th November and is due to start 1st December. Payments will begin to flow 3 months after the start date and be paid quarterly thereafter.
If you are minded to consider SFI and have time to spare, we would be happy to meet with you to appraise the scheme for your farm business. It is worth noting that the an SFI scheme can be incrementally enhanced in each year of the three year agreement allowing claimants to build on an initial application as confidence grows.
More information on the SFI Actions can be found here:
Basic Payment Scheme (BPS)
All BPS claimants should now be receiving their Delinked Payments Information Statement. These statements provide a summary of the BPS payments that will be received from 2024 until the end of the scheme in 2027. The payments are an average of what was received in the reference years (being 2020 to 2022). This sum is then subject to ‘progressive reductions’.
It is important to check that the reference amount has been calculated correctly by the RPA. Claimants have until 29th February to raise any queries.
If you are minded to transfer the delinked payments to another, this can be actioned between 15th February and 10th May.
