Sustainable Farming Incentive reforms to be unveiled by Environment Secretary
Reforms to simplify and stabilise the Sustainable Farming Incentive (SFI) are to be set out by the Environment Secretary today.
At the Oxford Farming Conference, Emma Reynolds is expected to announce plans for two application windows for the scheme in 2026, one in June and a later one in September.
She will say: “Farmers are at the heart of our national life – for what you produce, the communities you sustain, and the landscapes and heritage you protect.
“British farming is also a key growth sector we’re backing for the long term. Farmers who want to build, to export and to invest in new technology.
“But too often, they've been held back by bureaucracy. We're changing that to a system that backs our farmers.”
Mr Reynolds, who was appointed to the role in September, has already been critical of how the Government initially closed the SFI last year.
The scheme pays farmers in England for “public goods” such as insecticide-free farming, wildflower strips and managing ponds and hedgerows, but closed it without warning last week.
In March, the Department for the Environment, Food and Rural Affairs (Defra) abruptly closed it to new applicants, saying it had allocated its £1bn budget for the year.
At the Environment (Efra) Committee meeting, Mr Reynolds said “mistakes were made” and pledged to “improve the communication”.
Today, she will say the new scheme will be simplified and will “level the playing field”.
Smaller farms and those without an existing agreement will be able to apply in June, while there will be a second window in September for wider applications.
Defra said it would continue to work with farmers to refine the scheme.
Ms Reynolds is also expected to say today: “We will work with you – through our new Farming and Food Partnership Board, through peer-to-peer networks, through community-led change, and through engagement on the detailed changes to SFI.
“You will have the certainty you need to plan – clear budgets, clear timelines, clear future roadmap, and growth built on strong foundations.
“That's my commitment to you and it's the foundation for the future we’re building together, to drive growth, secure a thriving future for the sector, and deliver high quality, affordable food for British families.”
She will also set out plans to “transform” England’s uplands and recognise the unique challenges facing the rural communities that depend on them.
Defra said it was going to work, first in Dartmoor and then in Cumbria, to deliver system-wide changes for upland farmers, creating clusters to lay the foundations for new income streams.
The Government will also extend the Farming in Protected Landscapes programme for another three years, with £30m of funding available next year for farmers in the Yorkshire Dales, North York Moors and Howardian Hills.