This decision to pause the SFI without warning has caused significant anger and frustration across the farming sector and means that essential funding for nature-friendly farming practices is no longer accessible to farmers. As it now stands, no single ELM scheme is open for application, leaving farmers and landowners without a clear pathway towards sustainable futures.
Barnaby Coupe, Senior Land Use Manager at The Wildlife Trusts, says:
"The UK Government's decision to pause all applications for the Sustainable Farming Incentive (SFI) has pulled the rug from beneath the feet of farmers who are trying to farm more sustainably. This immediate pause without warning has upturned the apple cart for many English farmers and will only undermine trust in Defra's new farming schemes.
"Farmers need to be able to plan their businesses, and public funding for environmental actions is critical to this. The SFI is a crucial tool to enable a transition to nature friendly, climate resilient farming. The Government is right to review the scheme because it does need to be strengthened, targeted, and made more ambitious over time. But this must be managed in a clear process for farmers which avoids a funding cliff edge."
A strengthened and reformed SFI scheme should support farmers to manage their land sustainably and reward them for restoring nature, cleaning rivers, and mitigating against climate change - but this must be brought forward as a matter of urgency. The proposed date for the new scheme opening is set for Spring 2026 which The Wildlife Trusts believe is too far away and creates a funding gap that will place many farm businesses under unmanageable stress.
Critical to the future of farming will be ensuring continued funding for nature-friendly farming in the upcoming spending review. Now is the time to ensure that the available funding via ELM delivers the most efficient and targeted delivery of nature-friendly farming across the country, and all eyes will be on Defra to realise this ambition in a way that supports farmers in their transition to resilient and sustainable farm businesses.
ENDS