About Soil Association Exchange

Exchange equips farmers with environmental data, local independent advice, and funding opportunities to support the transition to regenerative practices. Over 2,000 farmers already use Exchange to identify cost savings, boost efficiency, and unlock natural capital opportunities. Cutting edge software helps benchmark performance on everything from soil health to carbon to biodiversity —making sustainability work for the farm business.

Soil Association Exchange’s holistic environmental data management tool provides a simple and effective approach to collating evidence for the Oxbury Transition Facility.

 

What is the Oxbury Transition Facility?

The Oxbury Transition Facility is the first of its kind for UK farming businesses. It provides flexible funding to help farmers manage cash flow and capital needs as they transition to lower-carbon, more resilient farming systems.

With growing pressure from climate change, government policies, and supply chain demands, Oxbury recognises the need for financial support to help farmers adopt sustainable practices. This facility financially incentivises and rewards those who are transitioning—or planning to transition—to farming methods that reduce carbon emissions and improve soil health.

Beyond access to finance, the Oxbury Transition Facility helps farmers measure and demonstrate the impact of their changes. It includes:

  • Carbon Footprints: Conducted by farmers at the outset and throughout the transition to track emissions reductions.

  • Earth Observation: Oxbury has partnered with Downforce Technologies, who combine satellite data with on-the-ground insights to calculate and track Soil Organic Carbon (SOC) improvements.
  • Data Sharing: Evidence of sustainable improvements can be shared with supply chain partners and government bodies to demonstrate positive environmental outcomes.

 

What are the benefits of an Oxbury Transition Facility?

Facility amounts of up to £500 per hectare farmed with a minimum facility size of £25,001 to a maximum of £500,000
Interest rates from 1% above the Bank of England base rate for a period of up to 6 years
Annual facility fees from 0.5% of the facility amount
No early repayment charges
No need to change your existing bank relationship
Flexible repayment terms based on cash flow, facility can be continuously repaid and withdrawn during the facility period. Interest payable monthly on outstanding balance
Register interest

What must I provide to qualify?

If you are already making changes to your farming operations, you will be required to provide:

  • Details of environmental grant agreements like SFI; or
  • Agreements with supply chain parties that require specific practices e.g. the planting of cover crops or minimum tillage practices; or
  • Proof of participation in the Soil Association Exchange Market; or
  • Independently verified evidence of the use of qualifying agronomic practices.

If you are planning to make changes, but have not yet implemented any changes, you can provide:

  • Budgets, maps or application forms for the changes to be made.

We require an electronic map of your farm and a carbon footprint of no more than 24 months old for all applications. If you do not have any of these available, we will provide guidance to support you to obtain the necessary information.

Much of the qualifying evidence can be collected directly from the Soil Association Exchange Platform and guidance on how to do this will be provided following an enquiry.

As a fully regulated bank Oxbury will undertake standard bank opening verification checks. This will require you to provide consent for Oxbury to conduct appropriate Credit Reference Agency searches to support your application and to underwrite the facility.  All applications are subject to status. Terms and conditions apply.

Please contact us by completing the enquiry form below. An Oxbury Relationship Manager will contact you to discuss the product and details in relation to the transition activity with you prior to completing an application.

Occasionally, we would like to send you information about our products and services which we think will be of interest to you and your business. To do this, we will only use your information as outlined in our privacy notice. You can change your preferences or unsubscribe at anytime. Please select at least one of the communication methods that apply:

Which environmental grants apply?

The following Sustainable Farming Incentive (SFI) and Countryside Stewardship Scheme (CSS) options qualify:

AB7 - Whole crop cereals 

AB15 - Two-year sown legume fallow 

AGF1 - Maintain very low density in-field agroforestry 

AGF2 - Maintain low density in-field agroforestry 

AHW10 - Low input harvested cereal crop 

CIPM3 - Companion crop on arable and horticultural land 

CIPM4 - No use of insecticide on arable crops and permanent crops 

CLIG3 - Manage grassland with very low nutrient inputs 

CNUM2 - Legumes on improved grassland 

CNUM3 - Legume fallow 

CSAM2 - Multi-species winter cover crop 

CSAM3 - Herbal leys 

GS2 - Permanent grassland with very low inputs (outside SDAs) 

GS4 - Legume and herb-rich swards 

GS5 - Permanent grassland with very low inputs in SDAs 

GS7 - Restoration towards species-rich grassland 

GS17 - Lenient grazing supplement

OFA1 - Overwinter stubble (organic land) 

OFA6 - Undersown cereal crop (organic land) 

OFC1 - Organic conversion – improved permanent grassland 

OFC2 - Organic conversion – unimproved permanent grassland 

OFC3 - Organic conversion – rotational land 

OFC4 - Organic conversion – horticultural land 

OFC5 - Organic conversion – top fruit 

OFM1 - Organic land management – improved permanent grassland 

OFM2 - Organic land management – unimproved permanent grassland 

OFM3 - Organic land management – enclosed rough grazing 

OFM4 - Organic land management – rotational land 

OFM5 - Organic land management – horticultural land 

OFM6 - Organic land management – top fruit 

OP4 - Multi species ley 

OP5 - Undersown cereal 

OR1 - Organic conversion – improved permanent grassland 

OR2 - Organic conversion – unimproved permanent grassland 

OR4 - Organic conversion - horticulture 

OR5 - Organic conversion - top fruit 

OT1 - Organic land management - improved permanent grassland 

OT2 - Organic land management - unimproved permanent grassland 

OT4 - Organic land management - horticulture 

OT5 - Organic land management - top fruit 

OT6 - Organic land management - enclosed rough grazing 

PRF1 - Variable rate application of nutrients 

PRF2 - Camera or remote sensor guided herbicide spraying 

PRF3 - Non-mechanical robotic weeding 

PRF4 - Mechanical robotic weeding 

SOH1 - No-till farming  

SOH2 - Multi-species spring-sown cover crop 

SOH3 - Multi-species summer-sown cover crop 

SOH4 - Winter cover following maize crops 

SW5 - Enhanced management of maize crops 

SW6 - Winter cover crops

WBD4 - Nil fertiliser supplement (supplement to WBD4 and WBD5) 

WBD8 - Manage grassland to reduce nutrient levels in groundwater 

WBD9 - Nil fertiliser supplement (supplement to WBD4 and WBD5) 

The following Agri-Environment Climate Scheme options qualify:

Species-rich grassland management 

Stubbles Followed by Green Manure in an Arable Rotation 

Forage Brassica Crops 

Organic Farming: Conversion 

Organic Farming: Maintenance 

 

The following Growing for the Environment options qualify:

Cover crops 

Mixed leys, red clover or lucerne 

Protein crops 

Unsprayed root or forage crop with ungrazed field margins 

Unsprayed spring sown cereals, including those under sown with leys/red clover and/or mixed with protein crops 

Under sowing maize

 

Sustainable Farming Scheme (SFS)

From 2026, farmers will be able to apply for the Oxbury Transition Facility by providing evidence of receipt of certain SFS Optional Layer payments. Particular actions from the following themes will be accepted in the qualifying criteria:

  • Improved soil health and multispecies crop cover
  • Sustainable production
  • Enhanced habitat management
  • Creation of permanent and temporary habitats
  • Implementation of Designated Site Schedule of Works
  • Enhanced woodland management
  • Woodland and agroforestry creation
  • Hedgerow creation and restoration
  • Improved water quality, water usage and flood mitigation
  • Organic farming (support and conversion)

 

More information about Oxbury Transition Facility

We do not prescribe specific actions that you must undertake with the facility, but your participation in grant schemes and supply chain arrangements provide evidence of the changes already underway.

In some cases, depending on the size of the facility, we may require security.

 

Once approved, you can self-serve through our Oxbury Online Banking platform, giving you the ease and flexibility to control when you want to drawdown funds and when you want to repay any utilised credit. If you prefer direct contact we have a customer services team, as well as your assigned Relationship Manager.