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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

Must reads

Case studies

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PAYMENTS, SCHEMES AND GRANTS

Environmental schemes: Should farmers make the switch now?

Buying an outlying 40ha block of arable land just as the Sustainable Farming Incentive (SFI) is being introduced gives Salisbury Monitor Farm host Ben Jeans the opportunity to weigh up…

ARABLE

SFI Pilot: Two arable farmers share their experiences to date

The Sustainable Farming Incentive (SFI) pilot is giving farmers an opportunity to help shape the future of farming in England, with participants being able to choose the standards and ambition…

ARABLE

Why a climate-positive farm shows value of natural capital

The 1,000ha Cholderton Estate has achieved climate-positive status by capturing more greenhouse gases than it emits, while showing that it is possible to run a profitable farming business in countryside…

MACHINERY

Worcs farmer taps into grants to revamp machinery fleet

Investing in new technology can be cripplingly expensive for a small farm, but securing funds from relevant grant schemes makes it possible to lighten the financial burden. James Kent and…

AGRICULTURAL TRANSITION

Net-zero demo farm's three-pronged approach to cutting carbon

A Cambridgeshire net zero demonstration farmer has a three-pronged approach to cut his carbon footprint and replace income lost through the phasing out of BPS payments. David Felce, who farms…

BUSINESS

How and why two farmers planted trees for crops and poultry

Agroforestry is estimated to be practised on 3% of the UK’s farmed land, but at 10% the Woodland Trust says it could help the nation hit climate change targets. In…

Practical advice

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PAYMENTS, SCHEMES AND GRANTS

Lump Sum Exit Scheme: Critical details and potential pitfalls

Eligibility criteria, entitlements decisions, business structures and tax considerations are just a few of the key factors that farmers considering applying for Defra's Lump Sum Exit Scheme need to be…

PAYMENTS, SCHEMES AND GRANTS

Lump sum and delinking raise tax and timing questions

The tax and timing considerations for the Lump Sum Exit scheme and Basic Payment Scheme (BPS) delinking announcements need careful consideration and more information is needed from Defra, say advisers.…

BUSINESS

Business Clinic: Should we take up SFI on mixed family farm?

Whether it’s a legal, tax, insurance, management or land issue, Farmers Weekly’s experts can help. James Bradley of Carter Jonas Rural sets out how the SFI and other sources of…

PAYMENTS, SCHEMES AND GRANTS

Farming Investment Fund grants – what's on offer?

The Rural Payments Agency (RPA) has set aside £27m to help farmers in England improve efficiency and deliver environmental benefits. That sum will have to fund individual projects of up…

SOILS

4 environmental options for arable growers in switch to ELMs

Arable growers are being encouraged to try out current stewardship options to ready themselves for the switch from direct subsidies to environmentally focus payments. With direct support from the Basic…

BUSINESS MANAGEMENT

Farm resilience fund - where and how to access free advice

Farm businesses can now access free consultancy advice to help them navigate the loss of the Basic Payment Scheme (BPS) and the move to the Environmental Land Management scheme. Defra’s…

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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BUSINESS

SFI fails to impress Farmer of the Year, but CS is a runner

Managing soils ranging from heavy clay to Breckland sand provides plenty of challenges, with the move away from the Basic Payment Scheme (BPS) demanding reviews of cropping and land use…

FARM POLICY

Farmers reveal ‘brutal’ treatment at hands of RPA

Farmers are calling for the Rural Payments Agency (RPA) to carry out a root-and-branch review of how it manages agri-environment schemes amid concerns that hundreds have been unfairly penalised with…

PLANNING PERMISSION

How environmental planning system is tying up more farmland

Increasingly it appears that the traditional ways of using land to produce food are competing with farm policy’s comparatively new focus on environmental schemes. These include tree planting, carbon capture…

ENVIRONMENTAL SCHEMES

Countryside Stewardship – key changes for 2023 agreements

The Countryside Stewardship Scheme (CSS) is now open for applications for agreements with a 1 January 2023 start date. Farmers Weekly highlights the key dates farmers need to know about,…

PAYMENTS, SCHEMES AND GRANTS

Woodland Creation Offer: What farmers need to know

When it comes to planting trees, the government’s targets are certainly ambitious, as it endeavours to catch up on what some see as England’s poor performance of previous years. The…

AGRICULTURAL TRANSITION

How conservation covenants fit in with new support schemes

Conservation covenants are a new tool designed to help with the government’s core commitment to enhance the natural environment for future generations. They will be voluntary, but legally binding, agreements…

PAYMENTS, SCHEMES AND GRANTS

Who will benefit from Countryside Stewardship rate rise?

Payment rate increases for Countryside Stewardship (CS) may make the scheme a more attractive and viable option for farmers in England looking to offset basic payments cuts, say land agents.…

AGRICULTURAL TRANSITION

Landscape and Local Nature Recovery: What farms need to know

Defra secretary George Eustice is set to unveil plans at the Oxford Farming Conference (OFC) for two new Environmental Land Management (ELM) schemes which will pay farmers in England to…

FARM POLICY

Farm business outlook 2022: Farm policy

As farm support policy between the devolved nations diverges further, imbalances in competitiveness may develop. An important policy driver is the UK government’s aim to reach net zero emissions by…