Landscape & Natural Environment Flashcards
Under Mid-Tier, what are the payment rates for the following options;
GS2 - Low input Grassland (Outside SDA)
FG2 - Sheep netting
GS5 - Low input Grassland (in SDAs)
BN11 - Hegde Planting
GS2 - £132/ha
FG2 - £4.90/m
GS5 - £71/ha (was £16)
BN11 - £11.60/m
What is the Local Nature Recovery & when will it start?
- New scheme under ELMS.
- Complement the SFI.
- Similar to Mid-tier.
- Piloted from 2023.
- Rolled out in full by end of 2024.
What is the SFI?
- Sustainable Farming Incentive
- Opened 30th June 2022
- 3 year scheme
- 3 standards available (to improve soil health); Arable & Horticultural Soil (£22/ha), Improved Grassland Soil (£28/ha) and Moorland Standards (£10.30/ha).
- Can upgrade agreement every 12 months from start date to add more land, standards and increase levels.
- 2 levels available; introductory & intermediary (advanced available by 2025)
+ annual health and welfare review for livestock (£436 sheep review / £522 beef cattle review)
How did you advise your client in relation to the SFI Pilot?
- 8 standards in the Pilot (now only 3)
*Hedgerow Standard (leave at least 50% of the hedgerow uncut every year).
*Low and no input grassland (limited nutrient inputs, manage weeds and invasive species, leave margins uncut & manage supplementary feeding)
*Arable & Horticulture Soils (add soil organic matter, establish green cover & stop soil compaction)
What is the Sustainable Farming Scheme?
- New welsh support scheme being introduced in January 2025.
- 3 levels; Universal, Optional & Collaborative
- Likely to be a 5 year agreement
- Baseline payment for undertaking 12 universal actions including; 10% tree cover, 10% managed habitats, annual benchmarking, soil testing, biodiversity measures, pond restoration & minimum level of learning incl H&S.
- Optional actions include - growing crops to reduce feed bought in, establish 6m wide buffer adjoining water courses and 3m wide perimeter fence and hedge around boundary.
- Collaborative actions include - support farmers to work together across catchments to improve water quality.
What is an Nitrate Vulnerable Zones (NVZ)?
Area that contains surface water or groundwater that is at risk to nitrate pollution from agricultural activities.
What Grants are currently available in Wales?
Growing for the Environment:
* Window 2
* 10th Oct - 18th Nov 2023
* 9 eligible crops with payments up to £302/ha capped at £5,000.
Agricultural Diversification Scheme:
*10th Oct - 13th Jan 2023
*£3,000 - £50,000 (40% contribution)
*A grant to support new viable agricultural diversification enterprises on farms.
What is the Landscape Recovery Scheme?
- For landowners and managers who want to take a more radical and large-scale approach to producing environmental and climate goods on their land.
- First round had 2 main focuses - restoring threatened nature species and streams and rivers.
- First round closed in May 2022 (22 selected projects)
What do you understand by Carbon Neutral?
A person, company or country are Carbon Neutral when they achieve a balance between the Carbon Dioxide they put into the atmosphere and the Carbon Dioxide they take out (absorb or remove!)
`What is a spreading risk map?
Map that identifies watercourses, non-spreading areas, high-risk areas, and field drainage status.
What do you understand by Net Zero?
- UK target is Net Zero by 2050!
- It means achieving a balance between the Greenhouse gases put into the atmosphere with the amount of Greenhouse gases taken out.
What Grants are currently available in England?
• Countryside Stewardship
• Farming Investment Fund (FIF)
- Farming Equipment & Technology Fund = FETF (Grants between £2,000 & £25,000). Grant towards cost of equipment and technology to improve the productivity of farms in a sustainable way. (Closed).
- Farming Transformation Fund = FTF (Grants between £25,000 & £500,000).
*Adding Value Grant
Grant between £25,000 - £300,000 (for up to 40% of eligible costs) to add value to eligible agricultural products after they have been harvested or reared. (Closed 21 July 2022)
*Slurry Infrastructure Grant
Available to farming systems producing slurry. Will help replace, build new or expand existing slurry stores to provide 6 months storage. Grant between £25,000 - £250,000. (Open in Autumn 2022).
What is BNG?
- Biodiversity Net Gain is an approach to development and land management to leave the Natural Environment in a better measurable state than it was beforehand.
- Under the Environment Act 2021, all developments in England must deliver a 10% BNG to be maintained for 30 years.
What are ecosystem services?
- Ecosystem Services are the direct and indirect contributions ecosystems (known as natural capital) provide for human wellbeing and quality of life.
- Food & Water, Soil Quality, Clean Air & Carbon Storage.
What is the Environment Act 2021?
- The UK’s new framework of environmental protection.
- Four priority areas – Water, Waste, Biodiversity & Air Quality.
- Creates a framework for protecting and enhancing the natural environment through long-term, legally binding targets.
- Targets to:
Increase biodiversity
Improve air quality
Improve water quality
Reduce waste
Increase recycling
Improve resource efficiency
