Spring Update

As I sit here looking out of the window, Spring is in full flourish and I hope as I write this that everyone has had a good lambing and calving season, and for once at least the weather has been on everybody's side.

Sadly, Spring started with the shock announcement from DEFRA that, with no warning, they had closed the Sustainable Farming Incentive for new applications back on 11^th March. As yet, we do not have any details with regard to when we might see the Scheme opening again, but we are promised an announcement later this year following the Government's spending review.

This comes as a major blow alongside the closing of the Capital Grant Scheme back at the end of 2024 which, again, we as yet do not have any details about when this may reopen - although it has been suggested by DEFRA that this may be later in 2025.

For those who had applied for a Capital Grant earlier in 2024, but which had not been processed by the RPA when they closed the scheme, these are starting to be processed and agreement offers are being sent out to those who's applications have been successful.

Therefore, please do keep a careful eye on the email address which the RPA have for your business as they are sending agreement offers out to contact email addresses.If you are wishing to go forward with the application, then there is a short window in order to check the agreement offer and return the agreement acceptance for it.

Therefore, it is imperative that you do check your emails regularly if you are hoping for an offer of a Capital Grant Agreement.Checking emails may not have come top of your priorities during the extremely busying lambing and calving period, but now that hopefully matters are quietening down ever so slightly, please do ensure that you check them in case you have received an offer which you have not picked up on prior to now.

For anybody who was contemplating applying for the Capital Grant Scheme when it closed, then we are advising that you get everything prepared which you may need including details of work, measurements and photographs so that as and when it does reopen, you are in a position to be able to apply as soon as possible.

Another matter which we advise you check is that your RPA online portal page is up to date with the correct contact details and that you can access matters as applications will need to be submitted through this and preparation is key.

We are working in uncertain times at present and hence planning is vital in order that when grant schemes do open you are ready to proceed.Therefore, if you were thinking about applying for a SFI Agreement when the RPA suddenly closed the applications, or you have an existing Agreement which is due to be coming to an end in the near future, then we are advising that it is worth looking at matters now in readiness for what we hope will be an announcement later in the year with regard to the reopening of schemes, in order that you are ready to move and get matters pulled together as soon as applications are open for a scheme going forwards.

It is also the time of year for those with existing schemes, be those HLS agreements or Countryside Stewardship mid or higher tier agreements, when your annual claim form needs to be completed and returned to the RPA. For those with HLS schemes, this means the completion of a paper claim form, for those in Countryside Stewardship this means the completion of your claim via the RPA online portal. The closing date for submission of annual claims without penalty is 15^th May, so if you have not completed and returned your 2025 claim, then please do so to avoid penalty.

One bit of positive news DEFRA announced early in Spring relates to the payment rates under existing HLS agreements. These rates have remained the same for years, and in many cases are considerably less than the equivalent payment rates under Countryside Stewardship. DEFRA set out that they would be writing to all agreement holders in April to explain the new rates, which will be applicable to 2025 claims – as yet these letters have not been received… but as I sit here writing this article on 1^st May, the sun is shining, the cuckoo is calling and we are all looking forward towards summer, and hopefully some more positive announcements from DEFRA than the ones of late.