On the back of the Farm to Fork Summit at 10 Downing Street, the government is providing support to farmers affected by wet weather by introducing temporary adjustments for some agri-environment schemes options.
The announcement represents an important win for the NFU, having long been campaigning about the affects the wet weather is having on members delivering the schemes. We welcome the adjustments and the flexible approach the RPA is taking.
Scope and timelines
The adjustments apply to live agreements, and have been made to over 40 options and actions in ES (Environmental Stewardship), CS (Countryside Stewardship) and SFI (Sustainable Farming Incentive).
They take effect from 1 October 2023 and will be reviewed on 31 July 2024.
The adjustments depend on the individual option/action, but broadly they provide more time to establish, re-establish or defer some activity.
Record keeping
The temporary adjustments listed on GOV.UK will automatically apply to agreement holders with those options/actions. You do not need to contact the RPA, but should keep records to demonstrate why you couldn’t meet the original action aims e.g. photos, invoices etc.
Visit: GOV.UK | Wet weather: temporary support for farmers in 2024
If despite the derogations an agreement holder still can't meet the aims of the action/option, they should go through the Minor and Temporary Adjustment (MTA) form process for ES/CS and for SFI let the RPA know about a change of circumstance via the SFI query form.