Sustainable Farming Initiative suddenly suspended

If you’re looking for context and understanding of the struggles for farmers… this will help explain the latest setback.

In a guest blog, Sarah Hulme reports on the repercussions of a recent government decision to halt funding for sustainability initiatives on farms

Without any warning, on 11 March, the government pulled the application process for a key environmental funding stream for farmers, saying the budget has been spent[1]. The Sustainable Farming Incentive (SFI) was designed to help farmers transition towards sustainable and nature-friendly farming practices – growing food in ways that protect nature and reduce the impact caused by intensive farming – as a key part of the drive towards net zero. These changes require costly interventions and, with no instant fix, these need investment and security for the longer term if farmers are to make this transition. It had been a central strand of the post-Brexit farming payments system.