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FAS technical advice line: 03000 200 301
- FAS Bank Holiday Closure
- Key dates to be aware of
- Upcoming Events
- Temporary adjustments to ELM agreements and new drought funding for farmers
- How Countryside Stewardship Higher Tier can work for farmers and land managers
- Woodland creation webinar: helping new trees survive and thrive
- Wildfire training available
- Help test the Forestry Commission’s new felling licence service
- Annual Charge Invoices for Chargeable Abstraction Licence Holders
- How an EA inspection helped a dairy farm transition to a more sustainable business model
- Updates from the Defra Farming blog and industry announcements
- Sustainable Farming Incentive 2026 update
- £20m robotics and automation competition now open for applications
- Waste criminals trashing the countryside will face tougher on-the-spot fines
- Bluetongue cases surging: livestock keepers urged to report suspicion of disease
- Rural Payments Agency: Updates and Guidance
- How can we help you?
- Stay up to date with us
Please be aware that on Monday 31 August our helpline service will be closed for the bank holiday.
You can still email us with any queries to advice@farmingadviceservice.org.uk and a member of the team will get back to you as soon as possible.
The closure of Window 1 for SFI 2026
The available budget for Window 1 is £60 million. DEFRA have published budget updates on the blog, based on SFI26 applications received so far.
Window 1 will close no later than 11:59pm on 28 August 2026.
Eligible farmers for Window 1 who do not apply during this window can apply in Window 2 instead.
The available budget for Window 2 will be £180 million and will open in September 2026 (date TBC).
A reminder that the hedgerow cutting and trimming rules are in place until 31 August.
There are exemptions available when sowing oilseed rape or temporary grass in August.
The full guidance for hedgerows is available here.
The Farmer Collaboration Fund (FCF) opens on 1 September 2026. The Farmer Collaboration Fund (FCF) aims to support farmers, land managers and growers to manage land in a productive, nature friendly and sustainable way.
Find out more about the FCF here.
The closed period for high Readily Available Nitrogen (RAN) organic manures on grassland in Nitrate Vulnerable Zones begins.
The full guidance on NVZ closed periods can be found here.
The Lowland Peat Water Implementation Grant is now open and closes at 11.59pm on 18 September 2026.
Apply for a lowland peat water implementation grant
In case you missed them
The closed period for high Readily Available Nitrogen (RAN) organic manures on tillage land with sandy or shallow soils in Nitrate Vulnerable Zones begins.
The full guidance on NVZ closed periods can be found here.
Organisations that work closely with farming communities, enabling them to deliver targeted support where it is needed most, are invited to apply for the new and expanded Farmer Welfare Grant. The application portal opened on 6 August until midday on 9 September
Upcoming Events
Farmers across England will receive new support to help manage the impact of prolonged dry weather, as the government steps up its response to the ongoing drought.
The package, announced on Saturday 15 August, includes:
- Temporary adjustments to Environmental Land Management (ELM) agreements, so farmers affected by drought can continue to receive payments and take practical steps to protect livestock, crops and land. This includes creating firebreaks, and cutting and grazing land in an ELM agreement to ease shortages of animal feed and bedding.
- An extra £50 million for Sustainable Farming Incentive 2026 Window 2, taking the total budget for SFI26 to £290 million to help more farmers access support.
- Action to make it easier to build reservoirs, including reducing unnecessary barriers and updating planning guidance.
- £15 million to build on-farm reservoirs, helping farmers store water and become more resilient to future droughts.
- Improved access to water during drought conditions, including that the Environment Agency will prioritise requests for short term variations to abstraction licence conditions.
Read the Defra Farming blog to find out more details on the measures
Natural England have published a blog breaking down the role of Defra, RPA and NE in the Countryside Stewardship Higher Tier (CSHT) process
Defra sets the policy direction and priorities for the scheme - how it fits alongside other options like the Sustainable Farming Incentive and Landscape Recovery. Defra's ambition is clear: CSHT should drive high-impact environmental outcomes, targeting the land and habitats where it can make the biggest difference.
The RPA administers the scheme - managing applications, processing agreements and handling payments. They are also working to improve the application service over time making the process clearer and more straightforward.
Natural England's role is the specialist advisory one - advisers work directly with farmers and land managers to assess what is possible on your land, help shape agreements that are genuinely right for your farm, and provide the expert, site-specific guidance that neither a policy document nor an online portal can replace. They also work alongside the Forestry Commission, Environment Agency and Historic England, where woodland, water and heritage are part of the picture.
What CSHT is - and what it isn't
CSHT is not a one-size-fits-all scheme. It is designed for farmers and land managers who want to do something ambitious for nature on their land - whether that is restoring peatland, managing ancient grassland, supporting wading birds, or improving water quality along a river. It rewards you for the real environmental value your land can deliver, not simply for owning it.
It sits alongside simpler options like the Sustainable Farming Incentive, and it is not right for everyone. That is precisely why the advice Natural England offer matters so much. They are not there to sign you up to something that does not fit your farm or your goals, they are there to help you work out whether CSHT is right for you -and if it is, to support you through every step.
Read the full blog for farmer feedback, benefits and challenges of the scheme
Join this Forestry Commission webinar to find out how to establish healthy, resilient trees. This practical session is for landowners and land managers who are planning to create new woodland or are new to woodland creation.
The Forestry Commission's South East and London Area Director, Peter Coles, and Woodland Resilience Advisor, Chris Watson, will share practical advice on how to give your trees the conditions they need to survive and thrive. Presentations will be followed by a Q&A session.
This is the final webinar in our four-part Planning to planting series. Join the live session on Wednesday 21 October, or catch up on previous webinars.
As wildfire risk continues to be severe across England, forest and land managers can prepare by undertaking training in managing vegetation fire and incident management.
The Forestry Commission offer Lantra-accredited specialist training courses. They cover basic information about wildfire and prescribed fires, safe systems of working and how to support Fire and Rescue Services when the worst happens. Online courses include:
Rob Gazzard, Wildfire and Contingency Planning Adviser at the Forestry Commission said,
“Both our Vegetation Fire Foundation and Wildfire Liaison Officer training courses can help quickly bring foresters, rangers, wardens and land managers up to speed on what they need to know and what they should do in case of wildfires.”
Further in-person practical wildfire and incident management team workshops are also available for national, local and site- based teams.
Contact fc.training@forestrycommission.gov.uk to find out more.
Designed to replace Felling Licence Online, “Apply for a tree felling licence” is intended to be faster, easier and more intuitive to use.
The Forestry Commission is asking customers to help test the service before it is publicly launched. If you're planning to apply for a felling licence between August and October 2026, you can register your interest, and if selected, you will be invited to submit a felling licence application in the new service. This will be processed within the standard timelines and, if approved, will result in a legally enforceable felling licence.
Register your interest to join the live testing of "Apply for a felling licence."
If you hold a chargeable water abstraction licence you will have recently received your annual charge invoice for the period 1 April 2026 to 31 March 2027 from the Environment Agency.
If the Environment Agency has agreed a Two-Part Tariff charge arrangement for your licence the invoice will have been for the first part charge. The second part charge is based on the quantities reported to the Environment Agency by you as abstracted.
Taken together, the first- and second-part charges make-up the annual charge and will be no more in total than the full calculated annual charge for a licence or group of licences.
The second part charge is billed in arrears to allow time for records of actual abstraction for the billing period in question to be reported and processed. Second part charges for the period 1 April 2025 to 31 March 2026 are now being calculated and invoices will be sent towards the end of August.
If you have any queries about your invoice or how to pay the invoice, details of who you can contact, and how to sign up for e-invoicing or to set up a direct debit, are printed on the reverse of the invoice.
A dairy farm was facing a range of regulatory challenges when the Environment Agency (EA) carried out a routine inspection of the site. The visit identified several areas of non-compliance that were placing the business at risk of enforcement action and contributing to potential pollution risks.
Key issues identified during the EA inspection
The inspection highlighted multiple infrastructure and management problems, including:
- A non‑compliant silage clamp with no perimeter drainage to contain or direct effluent safely.
- An above‑ground slurry lagoon showing signs of overtopping, creating a risk of runoff entering nearby land and watercourses.
- No slurry storage calculation, making it difficult to demonstrate adequate capacity or compliance with SSAFO and NVZ requirements.
These issues meant the farm was not meeting several regulatory standards and addressing them would require significant investment. Additionally, there were business pressures linked to an aging milking parlour, meaning milking was taking up a disproportionate amount of time.
Taking action following the inspection
The farm’s agronomist helped get essential paperwork, including nutrient management planning and a slurry storage assessment, in order. This was an important first step in understanding the scale of the infrastructure upgrades required.
Taking on board the slurry storage assessment, the business estimated that the additional storage capacity required, along with the required upgrades to the silage clamp and some wider yard improvements, would represent a major financial burden.
A difficult decision and a new direction
After reviewing the costs, risks and long-term demands of resolving issues with the dairy unit, the business made the difficult decision to transition out of dairy production.
Although leaving dairy farming was challenging, the EA inspection helped the farmer to reassess their future. Adapting their business model could deliver:
- A more manageable workload
- Improved financial stability
- Lower environmental risk
They are now moving into arable production and cattle rearing, building a more diversified and resilient operation. They will also be working more closely with other farms by sharing machinery and labour requirements.
How positive engagement leads to a sustainable outcome
Open engagement with the EA helped the business fully understand the scale and seriousness of the compliance issues but also supported them in finding a constructive way forward. While the outcome was not what they originally expected, the inspection enabled them to take a proactive, long-term view of the business.
Their experience demonstrates how regulatory engagement, even when it highlights difficult realities, can help farm businesses make informed decisions that support both environmental protection and long-term resilience.
Defra regularly updates the Farming blog. Please subscribe to the blog to ensure you receive all the latest news.
Sustainable Farming Incentive 2026 update
On 5 August, Defra confirmed that Window 1 will close no later than 23:59 on 28 August 2026. Any remaining budget not allocated at this point will be carried over to Window 2 when it opens in September.
When SFI26 Window 1 opened on 30 June, Defra said that this window was expected to remain open for around 2 months, unless all available funding was allocated sooner.
Defra will confirm the date they expect to open applications for Window 2 soon after the closure of Window 1.
You can read more detail on the update, including reminders on Window 2 eligibility, payments for those who applied in Window 1 and information for those with agreements expiring soon, in this post to the Defra Farming Blog.
Waste criminals trashing the countryside will face tougher on-the-spot fines
As part of a major crackdown on waste crime, new legislation will increase the maximum fine for fly-tipping waste to £5,000 – a 400% uplift from the previous level of £1,000.
Coming into force this summer, the increased fines will act as a stronger deterrent and help reduce cases of fly-tipping. Local authorities will be able to hand down harsher penalties, reflecting the real harm that waste criminals cause to rural communities and the environment that they ruthlessly disregard.
This legislation is the latest move under the governments Waste Crime Action Plan, which sets out a range of measures to stop waste criminals, from those dumping rubbish on high streets to operators running large illegal waste sites.
If you see fly-tipping or suspect illegal waste activity, report it anonymously to Crimestoppers on 0800 555 111 or at crimestoppers-uk.org.
£20m robotics and automation competition now open for applications
The latest Farming Futures Automation and Robotics competition, part of the Farming Innovation Programme (FIP), opened for applications on Monday, 3 August.
With farms looking to reduce their reliance on seasonal labour, this £20 million of funding directly backs the development of cutting-edge automated technology that can plant, tend and harvest crops, helping farmers adapt to changing labour needs, boost productivity and plan for the future.
The deadline to apply is 30 September 2026 at 11am.
Investing in homegrown technology is part of Defra’s long-term commitment, and key to delivering the vision of the Farming Roadmap in helping to ensure England's farms are profitable, productive and resilient.
Find information on how to apply, learn how funding has already helped develop the world's first robotic mushroom harvesting system, and sign up to a webinar to learn more, all on the Defra Farming Blog.
Bluetongue cases surging: livestock keepers urged to report suspicion of disease
Bluetongue virus (BTV-3) is circulating in England, particularly Southwest England and parts of Wales. The recent period of hot and humid weather has been favourable for the rapid transmission of BTV via biting midges which has contributed to increased numbers of cases, in cattle and particularly sheep.
Bluetongue restricted zones are in place across the whole of England and Wales. You can move animals within England without a specific bluetongue licence or pre-movement testing.
You need a specific licence to freeze germinal products (semen, ova and embryo) anywhere in England and Wales and testing of donor animals is required. Keepers are responsible for the cost of sampling, postage and testing.
The UK Government recognises this is an incredibly difficult time for animal keepers and their vets who are on the frontline of this disease. Please visit our list of organisations offering wellbeing support to those in the farming community.
Livestock keepers should remain vigilant and report any suspicions of disease to APHA. Farmers and keepers are encouraged to discuss vaccination with their vet as this is the most effective way of protecting animals. Defra continue to work closely with industry and are putting processes in place to bring in additional vaccine supplies to help farmers to protect their livestock.
Check the latest situation page for more information on current bluetongue cases, risk level, vaccinations and restrictions
Rural Payments Agency Blog
To stay up to date with the latest information and updates from the Rural Payments Agency (RPA), sign up to the RPA Blog.
You can also listen to the RPA Podcast, which has been launched to help farmers, landowners and rural communities keep up to date with the latest news from the RPA. You can also follow the RPA on social media:
- X @ruralpay
- Facebook: facebook.com/RuralPaymentsAgency
- YouTube: Rural Payments Agency
- Instagram: ruralpay.
Stay up to date with the Sustainable Farming Incentive (SFI) blog posts here.
The Rural Payments Agency has launched a series of 'How to' videos to help farmers prepare for a farm visit and meet your regulatory requirements.
The video series of practical guides covers everything from identification visits to getting set up online.
Free and confidential advice
The FAS is funded by the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs (Defra). We provide free, confidential advice to help farmers and land managers in England understand and meet the legal requirements in English law around certain farming activities to protect people, livestock and the environment. We update the farming sector on relevant government farming policy that is applicable in England and on the actions that can be taken to help farmers comply with the relevant regulations. Our newsletter also provides articles on topics that are complementary to farming regulation, such as practices that benefit the wider environment and wellbeing support.
Our website hosts our previous newsletters, as well as technical articles and webinars that cover various topics in more detail.
Contacting the advice line: Farmers requiring telephone advice can contact the FAS technical advice line on 03000 200 301, Monday to Friday, between 08:30 and 17:00. The Rural Services Helpline provides a single number for all FAS, Rural Payments Agency (RPA), Animal and Plant Health Agency, Natural England and Forestry enquiries.
You can also email enquiries to advice@farmingadviceservice.org.uk. Our helpline team aims to respond to all telephone and email enquiries within one working day.