Whole Farm Plans for Farm Woodlands

Many of the businesses with farm woodlands claim Basic Payment Subsidy (BPS). To continue to claim subsidy from 2025, farmers, crofters and land managers are being asked to undertake at least two baseline plans or audits from the Whole Farm Plan matrix by 15 May 2025.

We have prepared a summary of what this means particularly for businesses who only claim woodland and also where you can find more information.

The five elements within the Whole Farm Plan are:

• Animal Health and Welfare Plan
• Biodiversity Audit
• Carbon Audit
• Integrated Pest Management (IPM) Plan
• Soil Analysis

There is a need to have at least two baseline plans or audits from the Whole Farm Plan in place by 15 May 2025.

If your business only claims woodland, the applicable plans within the Whole Farm Plan would be a Carbon Audit and Biodiversity Audit as a minimum. If the claimed woodland is on Region 1 land and fertiliser is applied then soil analysis would also be required for the Region 1 areas that receive fertiliser. Similarly if you or a contractor use any sprays, an IPM plan would also be required.

You can check out the FAS Preparing for the Future webpage to understand more about each element of the Whole Farm Plan including useful resources to assist you in completing these elements. Most recently, our Natural Capital podcast team caught up with Celine Delabre from NatureScot regarding biodiversity audits. You can have a listen here.