Farmers frustrated by slow rollout of 2024 SFI scheme

Farmers in England are growing increasingly frustrated by delays in the rollout of the 2024 Sustainable Farming Incentive scheme.

Many who have had their Sustainable Farming Incentive (SFI) 2024 applications accepted by Defra are still waiting for their agreements to go live.

Ally Hunter Blair, an arable farmer from Herefordshire, applied on 20 August, hoping for a September/October start to align with his cropping plans.

See also: Fury as Defra reveals £358m underspend over three years

Although he received a confirmation of the offer, two weeks later, the Rural Payments Agency (RPA) informed him that the rollout was under “controlled” measures, leading to delays.

‘Left in limbo’

Mr Hunter Blair told Farmers Weekly he had been “left in limbo land” and the uncertainty is affecting his ability to make key decisions on autumn cropping.

“My plan was to get set up on an early October start date, which would give me three years in the agreement until the end of September 2027,” he said.

“That meant that I could plan my crop rotation, but there’s a week left until October, and if I get a November start date, that’s bad.

“There’s been a £350m underspend at Defra over the past three years.

“You can see how easy it is to get into this situation.

“If they don’t send out the agreements, then it’s very hard for them to spend the money.”

Mr Hunter Blair, along with other farmers such as Devon farmer James Wright, has voiced concerns about the potential impact of these delays, suspecting that the government might be postponing agreements until after the budget on 30 October, when payment rates could potentially be lower.

Mr Wright, who farms 65ha of grassland, suckler cows, and sheep on Exmoor, has applied to put the majority of his farm into the SFI SAM3 Herbal Leys action.

He said: “We’re all ready to go to put seed in the ground. We applied as soon as the application window opened. SFI was billed as flexible and easy to get into and it’s certainly not feeling that way now.

“I’m concerned Defra is under pressure from Labour to pause the rollout. There is talk of Labour making cuts to the agricultural budget so they don’t want to give out any new agreements. How can you plan a business around that?”

Farmers are feeling increasingly anxious, as the delayed start dates could disrupt crop rotation and financial planning.

As of mid-August, Defra data shows there were 23,200 live SFI agreements in England – consisting mainly of 2023 agreements.

However, Defra’s controlled rollout approach is seen by many as a stumbling block, with farmers eager for clarity and swift action.

‘Controlled’ rollout

Defra says the rollout of SFI24 is being managed to ensure proper support, but for many farmers, the slow pace is creating operational and financial challenges.

A spokesperson for the department said: “We’re rolling out the Sustainable Farming Incentive with expressions of interest accepted, agreement offers being made, with 600 agreements in place under SFI 2024.

“As we have done previously with SFI, the rollout is being managed to balance making offers with supporting farmers as they make the necessary adjustments for the scheme.”

• Defra is holding two free webinars this week to update farmers on its expanded SFI24 offer, including one hosted by the Tenant Farmers Association on at 7pm Wednesday evening and another at 2pm on Thursday 25 September delivered in collaboration with the Farming Advice Service (FAS) and The Farming Forum (TFF).