(AGENPARL) - Roma, 28 Giugno 2022(AGENPARL) – LONDON mar 28 giugno 2022
A standard is a group of land management actions with a set of aims. By completing the actions in the standard, you should achieve its aims.
The standards available in 2022
In 2022, there are 3 standards available in the Sustainable Farming Incentive (SFI):
You can only enter a land parcel into one of these 3 standards. In future, standards will be designed to be compatible with each other. You will be able to have a land parcel in more than one standard where this is the case.
You may already be doing some of these actions on your land. If this is the case, these will usually count towards achieving the standard’s aims.
You will not be paid for actions you are already required to do by law.
The levels available in each standard in 2022
The actions in each standard are grouped into levels. The information for each standard explains what is required at each level and how to achieve its aims.
If you choose a higher level, you have to do more actions and you will be paid more.
The levels you can choose in 2022 are:
| Standard | Level |
|---|---|
| Arable and horticultural soils | Introductory |
| Intermediate | |
| Improved grassland soils | Introductory |
| Intermediate | |
| Moorland | Introductory |
Each land parcel can only be in one level, but you don’t have to choose the same level for all the land parcels entered into a standard. For example, you can select one land parcel for the introductory level and another land parcel for the intermediate level.
By 2025, these standards will all have 3 levels:
- introductory
- intermediate
- advanced
Future standards and levels
The SFI will expand each year, with the full set of standards in place by 2025.
Along with a wider range of standards, higher levels for existing standards will be added between now and 2025.
You can upgrade your agreement every 12 months from its start date. This will allow you to:
- add more standards
- increase levels within standards already in your SFI standards agreement
- add more land, including land coming out of a Countryside Stewardship agreement when it ends
This means that each year there will be more you can choose to do and you’ll get paid more as a result.
You will not usually be able to remove standards, reduce levels for existing standards or remove land from your SFI standards agreement.
Read more information about requesting changes to your agreement.
The current proposals for new standards and additional levels are:
| Year | Indicative standards and levels |
|---|---|
| 2023 | Nutrient management standard |
| Integrated pest management standard | |
| Hedgerows standard | |
| Advanced levels of the 2 soils standards | |
| 2024 | Agroforestry standard |
| Low and no input grassland standard | |
| Water body buffering standard | |
| Farmland biodiversity standard | |
| Intermediate and advanced levels of the moorland standard | |
| 2025 | Organic standard |
| On-farm woodland standard | |
| Orchards and specialist horticulture standard | |
| Heritage standard | |
| Dry stone walls standard |
These new standards and additional levels are only an indication of what may be introduced. They may be changed based on feedback from farmers and others.
In the future, we will continue to evaluate the success of SFI as the scheme develops. We may make changes to standards and levels, where necessary, to:
- ensure there is value for public money
- secure the right outcomes for the environment
- take account of new or amended regulations
- avoid duplication, for example with private sector funding or accreditation schemes
If we change standards or levels, these changes will only apply to land being entered into the standard or level for the first time or when an existing SFI standards agreement is renewed at the end of its 3-year duration. We may also offer you an upgrade to your SFI standards agreement during its 3-year term, which you could accept or reject.
Fonte/Source: https://www.gov.uk/guidance/how-the-sfi-standards-work
