Defra wants to attract several hundred farmers to take part in the first phase of piloting the Sustainable Farming Incentive scheme.

This is part of the government's plans for how to standardise farming practices, now the UK has left the EU Common Agricultural Policy.

In details published today (March 10) farmers who currently receive payments under the Basic Payments Scheme will next year be able to apply for the Sustainable Farming Incentive.

To make that work, there will be testing and trials of the new system and that is why they need the farmers.

The government has said the incentive will recognise the value of some of the natural assets that were dubbed 'ineligible features' by the CAP.

Within the policy document the government has set out some of the payments which are on offer which for the initial base rates, for the first phase of the pilot only farmers could be awarded :

Arable and horticultural land standard from £28 up to £74 per hectare

Arable and horticultural soils standard from £30 up to £59 per hectare

Improved grassland standard from £27 up to £97 per hectare

Improved grassland soils standard from £6 up to £8 per hectare

Low and no input grassland standard from £22 up to £110 per hectare

Hedgerow standard from £16 up to £24 per 100 metres

On farm woodland standard £49 per hectare

Waterbody buffering standard from £16 up to £34 per 100 metres

For more details about the trial and how to apply click HERE : the government publications site

Environment Secretary George Eustice said: " The ethos at the heart of our future policy is to support the choices of individual farm enterprises.

"The Sustainable Farming Incentive will support the environment and promote animal welfare. It will reward approaches to farm husbandry such as encouraging integrated pest management, improving soil health and enhancing hedgerows.

"Assets that were previously dubbed 'ineligible features' will finally have their value recognised and rewarded. I would encourage farmers to engage in this pilot to help us design the new scheme."

Farmers will need to complete a short online form to submit expressions of interestin taking part in the Sustainable Farming Incentive pilot.

Successful candidates will then be invited to complete their application and, if eligible, they will enter into apilotagreement starting from October 2021.This initial stage will be open to several hundred farmers, reflecting England's distribution of farm types and locations.

The Sustainable Farming Incentive is the first of three schemes to be piloted and co-designed. Further information on the other two schemes, Local Nature Recovery and Landscape Recovery, will be shared later this year.