Hi all, I'm new around here. I will hopefully be aquiring around 44 acres of land in the south west later in 2012. It's about 38 acres of pasture and 6 of wood / scrub. There are no buildings as yet but all fields have either a stream or mains water. Our intention is to do a bit of livestock, coppicing and growing on it which will hopefully mostly feed us and also provide firewood. I grew up on a beef and dairy farm so have a good understanding of what's involved.
The one thing I am confused about is the SFP situation. The current owner lets the grass out on a license to another farmer who grazes sheep on it and I think he also claims the SFP.
Does anyone have any understanding of how this all works, what we need to do to get the payment, when we would apply, when we would get it etc. Does the entitlement stay with the land or does it belong to the farmer who is renting it?
Sorry if this is a silly question but we have read loads on the net about it and are none the wiser to be honest.