Funding for England's 2026 Sustainable Farming Incentive (SFI) was fully allocated within six hours of its launch on Tuesday. Farmers attempting to apply for the scheme reported encountering error messages, with some finding the funds depleted by the time issues were resolved.
Peter Hatley, a farmer from Cambridgeshire, stated he was denied the opportunity despite being prepared, while Mat Cole, an uplands farmer, found the money gone after submitting his application at 3:50pm. The SFI is designed to pay farmers for environmental management, replacing parts of the EU's common agricultural policy.
The National Farmers' Union is urging the government to commit to the 2027 SFI scheme. A Defra spokesperson confirmed an additional £20m was allocated to the fund, on top of £50m announced in August, bringing the total for new agreements across both application windows to £310m.