GovWire

Applying for an agreement

SFIapplications opened forBPSeligible farmers from 30 June 2022.

Applications will remain open, so you can apply at a time that works best for you. If its necessary to close applications, this date will be publicised, including on GOV.UK, giving you 6 weeks notice.

Our newSFIapplication service is designed to be quicker and more straightforward for farmers. The service includes some new updates which allow us to automate the checks we need to do and process applications to offer agreements much more quickly than weve previously been able to do. This means you should usually receive your agreement offer within 2 months of submitting your application and in many cases more quickly than that.

Were rolling out the new SFI application service in a controlled way, so we can make sure were able to offer everyone the right level of support during this initial phase. This means that while allBPSeligible farmers can apply forSFI, during the first few weeks of rollout there are 2 ways into the application service for different groups of farmers.

All BPS eligible farmers can now apply for SFI on eligible land outside a common directly online by signing into the Rural Payments service. This includes where you want to apply on land thats in a Countryside Stewardship or Environmental Stewardship agreement.

If you want to apply on common land, you need to contact us first. Well then arrange for you to start your online application in the Rural Payments service as soon as possible. In this case, you can either email us at ruralpayments@defra.gov.uk (using Apply early forSFI as the email subject and including your SBI) or call us on 03000 200 301 (Monday to Friday 8.30am to 5pm, except bank holidays). We will respond to these requests as quickly as possible, and in most cases within 2 weeks.

For more information, read the guidance about how to apply online for anSFIstandards agreement on land outside a common.

If you cannot apply online because you do not have access to the internet or a computer, call us on 03000 200 301 (Monday to Friday, 8.30am to 5pm, except bank holidays).

What to do before you apply

There are some things you can do before you apply for SFI, to make your application easier.

Check your registered contact details and permissions

You should sign into the Rural Payments service and check your business and personal details are up to date.

You should also check your permissions. You can do this from your Business overview screen in Give people permission to act for this business.

To create an SFI application, youll need one of the following permissions:

• Business Details Full
• BPS Submit
• BPS Amend

To submit an SFI application, youll need either:

• Business Details Full permission
• BPS Submit permission

If you dont have the relevant permission, someone with Business Details: Full permission for the business can update the permissions. You can give someone else the relevant permission to apply on your behalf. Read the BPS 2022 how to apply online guidance for information about how to do this.

Register on the Rural Payments service if youre setting up a single entity for common land

If you are setting up a new single entity on behalf of a group of commoners, youll need to register on the Rural Payments service to obtain a new Single Business Identifier (SBI). Read more information about setting up a single entity.

Check that you and your land are eligible

You should check that:

• youre eligible to apply for SFI
• youll have management control of the land for the 3-year duration of your SFI standards agreement

Read the information about eligibility.

Check your land details

When you apply online for SFI in the Rural Payments service, youll see:

• the land parcels currently linked to your SBI
• the available area for SFI in those land parcels, based on the land covers currently registered that are eligible for each standard

If these details are not up to date, this will affect which land parcels you can select to include in your SFI application.

Before you apply for SFI, you need to check your digital maps are up to date. To view your digital maps, sign into the Rural Payments service. From your Business overview screen select Land and View land.

Read about checking your land details and how land cover affects your SFI application.