Farming organisations across the UK have responded to yesterday’s announcements from the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs (Defra) at this year’s Oxford Farming Conference.
During her speech at the conference, Defra Secretary of State Emma Reynolds revealed that there will be two SFI application windows this year.
She outlined that the first round will open in June for small farms and those without existing agreements, followed by a second window in September for all farms.
Reynolds also stated that Defra will be considering an agreement value cap for the scheme.
Additionally, a 25-year Farming Roadmap was announced by Defra, which will be based on Baroness Minette Batters’ recent Farming Profitability Review,
It will aim to “set out a clear, long-term vision for food production, environmental ambition, land use, and farm profitability.”
NFU
Responding to the announcements made by Defra at this year’s Oxford Farming Conference, NFU President Tom Bradshaw said: “Domestically, creating policies that support productivity and growth remain key and I am pleased to hear the Secretary of State talk about the much-needed clarity coming ahead of each payment windows for SFI.
“Farming is a long-term investment, measured in years, not months, and clarity is essential for confidence.
“Transparency around the farming budget is critical to this; without transparency, farmers and growers are unable to plan for their businesses’ future,” Bradshaw added.
With Reynolds stating in her speech that Defra will consider an agreement value cap for SFI, NFU deputy president David Exwood outlined that the farming union “supports a cap per hectare for SFI agreements on farm”, if a funding cap is put in place.
Exwood commented: “We recognise that the farming budget is finite and that SFI has to be spread more evenly across the industry, with a particular focus on the coming 12 months.
“But for farming and growing businesses to deliver the public goods the scheme originally set out to achieve, it is vital that it is accessible and relevant to all food producing businesses, no matter the size.”
According to Exwood, there are 27,800 farmers in agri-environment schemes whose agreements are set to expire at the end of the 2026/2027 financial year.
He noted: “With that deadline on the horizon, it is essential that we get a clear understanding from Defra about the SFI budget for the two application windows to allow continuity of environmental delivery that already exists on farms.”
Bradshaw also stated NFU’s desire to “work with the government to drive these policies forward to create confidence and profitability for farming and growing businesses, and ensure 2026 sees British farming achieve all it is capable of.”
CLA
The Country Land and Business Association (CLA) also welcomed the reopening of SFI “after months of limbo”.
However, CLA President Gavin Lane has voiced concerns over the news that the next round of the scheme will focus on small farms rather than include all farmers.
He said: “Smaller farms need support with advice, training, skills and facilitation, but this should be more nuanced than simple size designations which risk undermining the scheme’s ability to deliver environmental improvements at scale.
“The CLA urges Defra to focus on rewarding environmental outcomes rather than imposing arbitrary caps based on farm size.
“Incentives should remain proportionate to the scale of delivery to ensure fairness, efficiency and maximum impact for the environment.”
Lane also outlined that CLA looks forward working with Defra in developing the recommendations in the farming profitability review and the upcoming farming roadmap.
