There are some Sustainable Farming Incentive (SFI) actions in the SFI 2023 offer which are ‘rotational’.
As explained in the handbook for the SFI 2023 offer, in the second or third year of an SFI agreement these rotational SFI actions can:
- move location or be done on the same area each year
- increase or decrease area (as long as it’s at least 50% of the area entered for the first year of the agreement)
Tell the RPA about the future location and area of your rotational SFI actions
If your SFI agreement includes rotational SFI actions, you will have told us about their location and area for the first year of your agreement in your application.
You need to complete a ‘rotational actions declaration’ to tell us about the location and area of your rotational SFI actions for the second and third years of your SFI agreement. This is necessary even if you’re not making any changes to the location or area of these actions.
You can move the location of a rotational SFI action to an eligible land parcel that’s linked to your Single Business Identifier (SBI). This can be land that’s not already in your SFI agreement.
Rotational SFI actions in the SFI 2023 offer
You’ll need to complete a rotational actions declaration if your SFI agreement includes any of the following SFI actions in the SFI 2023 offer:
Action for soils
SAM2 - Multi-species winter cover crops
SAM3 - Herbal leys
Actions for integrated pest management
IPM2 - Flower-rich grass margins, blocks, or in-field strops
IPM3 - Companion crop on arable and horticultural land
IPM4 - No use of insecticide on arable crops and permanent crops
Actions for nutrient management
NUM2 - Legumes on improved grassland
NUM3 - Legume fallow
Actions for farmland wildlife on arable or horticultural land
AHL1 - Pollen and nectar flower mix
AHL2 - Winter bird food on arable and horticultural land
Actions for farmland wildlife on improved grassland
IGL2 - Winter bird food on improved grassland
When to complete your rotational actions declaration
You need to complete your rotational actions declaration towards the end of the first and second years of your SFI agreement.
Your rotational actions declaration will be available in the Rural Payments service once you’ve submitted your annual declaration. We will tell you when it’s available.
It’s important that you complete and submit your rotational actions declaration as soon as it’s available. We can’t pay you for the relevant agreement year until you submit it.
How to complete your rotational actions declaration
After you’ve submitted your annual declaration, you need to sign in to the Rural Payments service and complete your rotational actions declaration as soon as possible.
- Go to the ‘Business Overview page’ and click ‘Sustainable Farming Incentive 2023’
- Select the green ‘Rotational Actions Declaration’ button
If you want to make changes to any of your rotational actions, complete:
- section 1 ‘confirm you wish to make a rotational actions declaration’
- section 2 ‘confirm rotational actions’
- section 3 ‘review and submit your rotational actions declaration’
If you do not want to change the area or location of your rotational SFI actions, complete:
- section 1 ‘Confirm if you want to make a rotational actions declaration’, and select ‘No, I do not wish to make changes to my rotational actions’
- section 3 ‘Review and submit your rotational actions declaration
Check your details are up to date
To make sure we can deal with any queries quickly, it’s important that your personal and business details are up to date in the Rural Payments service. Sign in to the Rural Payments service to check and update them if necessary.
Where to find more information
Read more about your SFI agreement’s terms and conditions in the SFI Handbook for the SFI 2023 offer. It provides information about what to do if your circumstances change or if you cannot deliver your agreement.
If you have any questions, please contact us at:
ruralpayments@defra.gov.uk (please make sure that you add ‘SFI 23’ to the subject title of your email) or call us on 03000 200 301 (Monday to Friday, 8.30am to 5pm).
Please don’t forget to add your Single Business Identifier (SBI) and agreement number on your email.
Thank you for your ongoing commitment to the Sustainable Farming Incentive and the environmental improvements it brings.
Leave a comment