Moving from Countryside Stewardship Mid Tier to SFI

A number of clients having been trying to exit existing CS Mid Tier agreements early to go into SFI. Up until now, the RPA have been very vague as to how this can be achieved, but we have recently received a bit of clarity after enquiring yet again.

Mid Tier agreement holders can already apply for SFI on land that is not included in their CS Mid Tier agreement or apply for an SFI action on the same land as their CS options if they are compatible (for example nutrient management plan or soil management options NUM1 and SAM1).

Ending your Mid-Tier agreement early
The new clarity we have received from the RPA is the following: If you still want to close your Mid Tier agreement early, the RPA will remove the land from your CS agreement effective from 31 December 2023 and no payment will be made for the scheme year 2024.

If your agreement only contains revenue options, the RPA will not recover any payments made up to 31 December 2023.  If your agreement also includes capital items, they will expect you to complete items started and maintain the completed items for five years from the start of your agreement.

If your agreement contains SSSI land, you will need to make sure it is eligible for SFI and that you can continue the same level of management currently in your CS agreement.  Read the SFI 23 guidance for more information.

The RPA will need to fully check and close your CS agreement before you can apply for a SFI agreement.  This means no payment will be made between 31 December 2023 when the CS agreement is closed and the date your SFI agreement starts, meaning you might miss out on half a year of payments.

For further information, contact Ellice at ellicehahne@fcgagric.com or your local FCG Office