England's National Farmers' Union (NFU) is asking members how the next Sustainable Farming Incentive (SFI27) should work, after the £233 million budget for SFI26 Window 2 was used up in less than six hours on 22 September. Members have until 21 October to respond.
The union wants Defra to consider alternatives to first-come, first-served, to open SFI27 early in 2027 so agreements can start on 1 April, to offer regular application rounds and to give priority to farmers whose existing environmental agreements are ending. It estimates those expiring agreements are worth more than £520 million, against £310 million allocated across the two SFI26 windows.
Farmers who missed out describe the cost. Peter Hatley, who farms at Landbeach in Cambridgeshire after two decades in environmental schemes, found every land parcel returned an error on opening day; the money ran out before he could secure an agreement worth an expected £150,000 over three years. He warned that hedges, wildlife-friendly margins and pollen and nectar mixes could be at risk.
Leicestershire farmer Joe Stanley said technical problems stopped the 320 ha Allerton Project research farm from applying, leaving a £55,000 gap as its Countryside Stewardship Higher Tier agreement ends in 2026.
Defra has committed to an SFI scheme in 2027 and is considering changes. Parliament's Environment, Food and Rural Affairs Committee has also opened a survey of farmers' experiences of the SFI26 window.
Photo: Jozef Kotulič / Wikimedia Commons (CC BY-SA 3.0)
Source: Farmers Weekly
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