As the Department for Environment, Food & Rural Affairs (Defra) develops the next round of the SFI (Sustainable Farming Incentive), the National Farmers’ Union (NFU) is urging the department to ensure the scheme supports farmers’ resilience in the face of a changing climate.
The SFI gives farmers a choice of actions that reward and support sustainable food production while protecting and enhancing nature.
On July 7, 2025 the Sustainable Farming Incentive Expanded Offer for 2024 (SFI 2024) re-opened for applications from certain eligible applicants, which Defra has written to.
The NFU has said that many are grappling with urgent challenges following the driest spring since 1956.
Drought-reduced winter forage stocks are already being used to feed animals, prompting requests to the RPA (Rural Payments Agency) for flexibility to graze land in agri-environment schemes.
However such moves cannot be accommodated currently without a financial penalty.
The NFU said that future SFI design must address issues such as these to ensure farm businesses are resilient to climate pressures, deliver environmental targets, be rewarded fairly for the public goods they provide and safeguard the domestic food supply.
NFU deputy president David Exwood said: “We’ve consistently raised concerns with government this summer about the lack of flexibility to graze on land in environmental schemes without risking the loss of scheme payments.
“Some farmers have made applications for derogations yet received little consideration for the realities on the ground.
“Going forward the government’s core pillar of adapting to a changing climate must be reflected in future SFI scheme design.
“With increasingly extreme dry and wet periods, there must be greater flexibility in agri-environment schemes – to protect animal welfare, ensure farmers are paid fairly for the environmental work they deliver and safeguard our national food security.”
