A farming roundtable organised by the NFU has met with Food Security and Rural Affairs Minister Daniel Zeichner today (17 March) to explain the crushing impact of Defra’s decision to close the Sustainable Farming Incentive (SFI) and raise the urgent need for transparency from Defra. Farming representatives called on the Minister to:
- Unlock the SFI scheme for the thousands of farmers who have begun agreements but are now unable to be paid for the work they have completed.
- Provide more information about the future of the SFI scheme.
- Build trust in the farming industry by being transparent about the agriculture budget and its allocations.
- Undertake impact assessments, looking at what the decision means for the agricultural transition.
NFU President Tom Bradshaw said: “The closure of SFI is a devastating shock for farmers and leaves businesses on a knife edge when they were already struggling with the impact of the changes to inheritance tax.
“We made it clear to the Minister that this decision not only threatens the livelihoods of numerous farmers, especially upland farmers, commoners and tenants, but also undermines the ability of farm businesses to deliver environmental work. We also explained how it has crushed all trust in Defra.
“For the sake of our domestic food producing businesses, it is vital Defra provides urgent clarity on the future of SFI and starts being transparent about its budget, something we’ve been asking for years. As a start, the Minister could ensure that those farmers who feel abandoned, the people that have started applications and done the work, are able to enter into agreements.
