Owen Farm Services Update – What’s Happening In February

Welcome to our first update of 2021. Since our last update the situation with COVID19 has worsened in Dumfries and Galloway but is now hopefully getting better.

At the start of the year we immediately went back to our procedures during lockdown 1.0, and we have all been home based. It looks unlikely that we will get back on farm anytime soon, so we are making plans for this years IACS to be done remotely.

The recent rural outbreak is a timely reminder that farms and farmers are sadly not immune to this virus. We would remind everyone reading this to ensure they are following the current guidelines and in particular the ones around wearing a mask and washing hands.

Unfortunately it looks like some agricultural shows are once again not going to happen this year. As a business we enjoy these shows and certainly missed them in 2020. Fingers crossed that some shows will go ahead in 2021, and if they do, we will certainly look to support them where we can.

Brexit

As you will all be aware the UK is now trading out with the EU framework. While for most people there has been very little change in day to day life there is significant disruption behind the scenes with transport for a lot of agricultural goods going into Europe. While these goods are moving, it is a slow complicated process. We hope that these are simply teething problems, and its  sorted before there is an effect on the UK domestic markets.

IACS 2021

It is the time of year again where we start looking at client’s subsidy claim forms. While largely similar to last year there are a few key changes to the rules and the service we provide.

1. Greening has been simplified for 2021 (and for future years) with the scrapping of the three crop rule. Whilst this helps some farms, the bulk of those growing arable crops will still need to comply with environmental focus areas (EFA).
2. New mapping system. The Scottish Government have introduced a new online mapping system which includes some new additional detail. At the same time,  key functionality from previous years has been deleted. This means it will make it harder for individual farms to make sense of any changes in their own maps. You will also need a good internet connection to make it work well.
3. Agri-Ignite. Ignite is our own cloud based software that we use to manage the IACS application and keep clients fully informed. The system includes a function that updates the client on progress made so they are fully informed throughout the process. A client will receive the following from the system:-
   1. A full summary of your application
   2. An interactive map showing the cropping of the farm (colour coded)
   3. A list of individual fields and their scheme eligibility and details.
   4. A calculation of the anticipated subsidy.
   5. All relevant documents stored for future use and access.
   6. The ability to reuse this data for other functions.
   7. A nutrient plan to fulfil the greening requirement.

We are very happy to have a chat with potential new clients for IACS and you will find us to be cost effective, efficient and professional in what we do. We don’t require a client to have a subscription, and if we complete your IACS the cost includes any follow up work and general ongoing telephone advice. Our fee is a fixed fee as well, so what you are quoted is what you will pay. We don’t charge per field or per acre, we charge for the time we take to complete the work, so farms are not penalised by their size.

AECS 2021

A new round of the Agri Environment Climate Scheme has been announced. This scheme is to support environmentally sensitive land management. For this year, the main land focus is on organic farming, protected areas such as SSSIs and priority bird species.

Slurry storage construction in in priority catchment areas are also being supported in this round of funding. This option will provide up to £30,000 of funding towards the cost of a new slurry store to the successful applicant. Each farm needs a Slurries and Manures Management Plan, which would form the basis of an application.

Applications to the scheme must be submitted by the 30^th of June 2021. Please get in touch to discuss your eligibility and how we can help you submit an application.

Follow Owen Farm Services on Facebook by clicking HERE