Recommendation 4

Despite committing to delaying the early stages of SFI if either the Department or farmers were not ready, the Department has not specified what would trigger such a delay. Opinion within the farming sector is divided over whether the Department’s timetable is realistic or whether delaying the start of roll-out of the programme from 2022 is desirable. Some believe a delay is necessary to ensure that the scheme delivers for farmers and the environment and that farmers have the time they need to plan their businesses. The Tenant Farmers Association reminded us that farming requires long-term business planning, with crop rotations and breeding programmes put together over many years. But others highlight that progress to date has already been too slow, and that the right time to delay was 12 months ago. The Department acknowledges that there are delivery risks in the early stages and that it has yet to develop detailed delivery plans beyond March 2022. The Department has committed to making the first payments by Christmas 2022, and to not implementing any system changes that may put this timetable at risk. It asserts that, while there are risks to the delivery timetable that it needs to manage, it is on track and there is currently no need to delay. It told us it carries out reviews to identify any ‘red flags’ that may indicate the need for a delay due to the Department not being in a position to deliver the system, or farmers not being ready, but has not specified what these red flags are or the circumstances that would lead to a delay. Announcing a delay at short notice could be very damaging to farmers’ confidence in the scheme. Recommendation: In line with its Treasury Minute response, the Department should write to us by the end of February 2022 to confirm how it is assuring its own and farmers’ readiness at each stage of the Programme, and specify what would trigger a delay and when, allowing sufficient lead time to allow farmers to plan for a delayed launch. In