Sustainable Farming Incentive 2023 now open to applicants

By Chris Wright, Partner and ARA specialist

The Government’s Sustainable Farming Incentive (SFI) 2023, is now accepting applications and is a promising initiative designed to offer farmers additional actions and more flexibility.

This scheme aims to support food production, improve farm productivity and resilience, and protect and enhance the environment.

Benefits of the Sustainable Farming Incentive

The SFI 2023 offers 23 actions that cover existing themes such as soil health and moorland, as well as new actions on hedgerows, integrated pest management, nutrient management, farmland wildlife, buffer strips, and low-input grassland.

These actions, when adopted at scale, will support sustainable food production and contribute towards the environmental targets set out in the Government’s Environmental Improvement Plan.

Farmers will be paid for managing one side of a hedgerow, for multi-species cover crops, or for a nutrient management review, among other actions.

The Government has also confirmed that the SFI management payment will be applied to all land-based SFI actions, including moorland, and has updated the payment rate for low-input grassland action to make the rates the same for upland and lowland areas.

For tenant farmers, the SFI 2023 offer makes a range of actions and payments more accessible to those on short-term agreements and includes a range of new actions not previously available in schemes.

The Sustainable Farming Incentive is a significant step forward in promoting sustainable farming practices while also providing financial incentives for farmers.

By participating in this scheme, farmers can contribute to environmental improvement goals while at the same time improving their farming operations.

If you are thinking of applying for the SFI, we can help you integrate this into your wider financial strategy. Speak to us today for more information.