Whilst the rigour of the BPS application has gone, there is still a requirement for farmers and landowners to complete annual Countryside Stewardship (CS) revenue claims and Sustainable Farming Incentive (SFI) declarations. Compatibility with land cover and land use as declared in the land use table is key to ensure all claims are swiftly settled, and queries and payment delays from the Rural Payments Agency (RPA) are avoided. The deadline for CS revenue claims is 15th May. This deadline also applies to all ELS-HLS revenue claims. Late claim reductions will apply for revenue claims received by ..read more

Each quarter, we update you on industry news, topical issues, and safety alerts with the aim of supporting you in achieving best practice on your farm or estate. This edition highlights metalworking fluids safety, display screen equipment in farm and estate offices, and health and safety signage requirements. It comments on the risks associated with changing wheels on agricultural machinery and sets out key considerations when working with mowers and toppers. It concludes with recent case studies of workplace deaths or injuries, with learning outcomes for the agricultural industry. For any que ..read more

On 18th March, the Forestry Commission (FC) announced an immediate increase in payments for England Woodland Creation Offer (EWCO) grant recipients, to be applied to all existing and new agreement holders. The changes will allow an increase in maximum payments receivable per hectare, from £8,000, to £11,600, or £12,700 for those eligible for Low Sensitivity Land Payments. The FC also announced new Nature Recovery premium options, to encourage the promotion of natural colonisation and biodiversity within woodlands; uplifts in payments for flood risk mitigation and public access. Furthermore, an ..read more

Today, Defra has announced a set of new measures ensuring that the correct balance is struck between delivering environmental benefit and food security. This has come in the form of some Sustainable Farming Incentive (SFI) targeted reforms, which are set out below. Under the changes, SFI applicants will only be able to put 25% of their land into six SFI actions that take land out of direct food production. The actions are: Flower-rich grass margins Pollen and nectar flower mix Winter bird food on arable and horticultural land Grassy field corners and blocks Improved grassland field corners or ..read more

Welcome to the Ceres Rural Farming Update, a publication that provides independent insights on agricultural issues, from policy and grant funding, to administrative updates and key market information. Read the update here: Farming Update – March 2024. For a downloadable version click here, and for a printer-friendly version, click here. Please consider the environment before printing this publication ..read more

On 20th February 2024, Defra announced further details on the 2024 Farming Equipment and Technology Fund (FETF). With the application window due to open shortly, further information regarding the items due to be funded has been released. This will not be the first time that the FETF has been available, and many features of the grant are similar to previous rounds. For example, grant funding is allocated at a set rate per eligible item. However, this year, the funding will be split into three distinct categories, with the maximum grant amounts also increased: Productivity (maximum grant amount ..read more

Ceres Rural Partner, Ed Hutley, attended the hugely emotive NFU conference this week. On behalf of all of us here at Ceres Rural, he has posted a letter to Minette, thanking her for her dedicated and incredibly successful service as NFU President. We wanted to share it to publicly express our gratitude to someone who has been a true leader, influencer and champion for our farming community, economy and industry. Please read the letter here. Minette, thank you ..read more

Today, the 12th February 2024, marks the start of mandatory Biodiversity Net Gain for planning permissions in England. Unless an exemption applies, sites subject to planning permission will now need to demonstrate at least a 10% increase in the biodiversity value of the site in relation to the pre-development biodiversity value. BNG was introduced by the Environment Act back in 2021, but the start of mandatory regulations marks a shift from the small, voluntary market to a nationwide marketplace for BNG units. The statutory biodiversity metric is used to calculate the pre-development and post ..read more

Increased demand for the expanding range of services offered by the Ceres Group has seen the business open two new offices and recruit additional team members, as it strengthens its position in rural and property consultancy. Already well-established in the east and the south, delivering independent advice across the full spectrum of rural, land and property matters, a new Essex base will enhance the service delivery of Ceres Group in East Anglia and the south-east. The second new office, near Shrewsbury in Shropshire, will be the springboard for it to deliver farm business and property advice ..read more

As has become customary, the Oxford Farming Conference provided a platform once more for announcements by Defra. Steve Barclay, the relatively new in-post Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs revealed changes to the Agricultural Transition Plan. He also detailed important updates to Environmental Land Management schemes, which will provide support for both farmers and food producers and deliver valuable environmental benefits. Defra has stated a desire to have 65-80% of landowners and farmers adopting nature friendly farming on at least 10-15% of their land by 2030, and w ..read more