SFI, Countryside Stewardship and the
delinked transition — explained.
ELM transition advice for owner-occupiers, tenants and estates across the Wolds, East Riding, Holderness, North Yorkshire and East Lincolnshire — picking the right scheme combination and running the numbers properly.
The brief
What this service actually involves.
The shift from Basic Payment to delinked payments and Environmental Land Management is the biggest change in agricultural support since 1947. It is also, for many farms, an opportunity — provided the chosen scheme combination is matched to the cropping plan, the soil type and the existing infrastructure rather than picked from the headlines.
We help owner-occupiers, tenants and estate landlords across the region work through the options: SFI 2024 and the SFI 2025 expanded offer (now closed to new applications but live for those agreements already entered), Countryside Stewardship Mid Tier and Higher Tier, Landscape Recovery for larger collaborative projects, and the various capital grant streams (hedgerows, water quality, boundary restoration, infrastructure). The work is mostly numbers — what does the scheme actually pay net of opportunity cost, and what does it lock the rotation into.
On tenanted land the scheme question is more complicated still — landlord consent, income split, agri-environment income as part of the rent review evidence base, and the end-of-tenancy position on standing commitments. We act for both sides regularly and the discipline is the same on both: model the numbers, draft the agreement, and don't lock the next generation into something they didn't sign up for.
What we do
Five or six things, done properly.
SFI scheme selection
SFI 2024 and SFI 2025 action selection matched to your rotation, livestock, soil type and infrastructure — not picked from the headline rates.
Countryside Stewardship
Mid Tier and Higher Tier applications across the East Riding, Wolds, Howardian Hills, Holderness and East Lincolnshire — including HEFER assessment for designated land.
Delinked payment reconciliation
Reference data checks, transfer of entitlements at sale or tenancy end, and HMRC tax treatment of progressively-reducing delinked income.
Capital grants
Hedgerows, water quality, boundary restoration, slurry infrastructure, equipment grants — application drafting and post-claim reconciliation.
Landlord & tenant scheme advice
Landlord consent, income split, rent review implications and end-of-tenancy treatment of standing scheme commitments.
Scheme audit & RPA disputes
Pre-inspection audits, response to RPA inspection findings, penalty mitigation and appeal where the position warrants it.
Scheme status · 2026
SFI 2025 closed to new applications in March 2025; existing agreements run their three- or five-year terms. SFI 2026 is anticipated to reopen with reduced action choice and revised payment rates. Countryside Stewardship Mid Tier and Higher Tier remain open and competitive. Delinked payments continue with progressive reductions through 2027 — modelling the cliff edge into farm cash-flow now is sensible.
FAQs
The questions we get asked most.
Not seeing yours? Call us on 01759 303202 or ask the concierge — same working day.
Where we cover
Local to every market town between York and the coast.
The team for this
People who pick up the phone.
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