Applications for the SFI 2023 scheme in England opened on 18th September, with those who have registered an interest in the scheme being invited to apply before the scheme is opened up to everyone. The staggered application process has been introduced to allow the RPA time to sort out any technical issues with the new online application system.
There are now 23 different ‘actions’ available to apply for, including land management and agreement level actions, with payment rates matched to equivalent CS Mid Tier options. In addition to this, applicants can benefit from management payments of £20/ha up to 50ha, and common land payments (if a group of 2 or more people apply for SFI on common land) of £6.15/ha. View the actions here: SFI Actions in 2023 SFI Offer
Applicants are being urged to check their land cover details and boundaries on their RPA maps before starting an application, so that any changes can be made using an RLE1 form. If you start an application and then request a change using an RLE1 form, the changes won’t show on your SFI application unless you withdraw it and start again.
Permissions on the RPA account need to be set to ‘Full’ for Business Permissions or ‘Submit’ under BPS Permissions. If you are a tenant with an AHA or FBT only you can apply, and not the landlord, however landlords may be able to apply in the case that their tenant only holds a license.
Once you have applied, an agreement offer will be made within 3 months of submitting an application, and the agreement will then start on the 1st of the following month after the agreement is offered.
2022 SFI Agreement Holders
Those who are still part of a 2022 SFI agreement will be contacted by Defra inviting them to apply between 3 months and 6 months before their agreement’s first year anniversary.
Site Visits
A percentage of SFI agreement holders can expect to receive an RPA site visit at some point during the life of their agreement. These visits will be carried out to check that the agreement holder is complying with the scheme’s terms and conditions, and carrying out the actions in a way that achieves each action’s aims.
It is expected that these visits will be less like current inspections and instead be more advice-led, giving the agreement holder advice and feedback where they haven’t met the action’s aims instead of applying fines and penalties.
Register Interest
To register your interest in SFI 2023, navigate to the Sustainable Farming Incentive section of your RPA account, and follow the link to a short questionnaire. You will receive an invitation email from the RPA to the business email address registered on your RPA account, within 4 weeks of registering your interest.
For further advice or help with applying, please contact our Stewardship & Grants department on 01981 590514.
