SFI26: Farm business already under pressure simply cannot wait until 2027 for funds

SFI26: Farm business already under pressure simply cannot wait until 2027 for funds

Responding to the SFI26 window 2 budget being exhausted within hours, Liberal Democrat Environment, Food and Rural Affairs Spokesperson Tim Farron MP said:

"The fact that this scheme, that is quite literally a lifeline to farmers, filled up in less than six hours shows just how broken the system is. Farmers want to deliver for nature, protect our countryside, and produce our food, but thousands have been left locked out and unable to access the scheme purely down to how fast they hit a button.

"This flawed, first come first served system advantages larger landowners and shuts out smaller family farms.

"The Government need to replace this unfair, underfunded model designed by the Conservatives. By failing to provide a scheme that works for everyone, ministers are actively threatening the survival of family farms across the country.

“It is an absolute disaster for nature recovery and a direct blow to Britain's long-term food security. Ministers need to step up by topping up the funding to ensure no farmer is left stranded.”

Also commenting, Liberal Democrat Rural Affairs Spokesperson Sarah Dyke MP said:

"This isn’t a scheme responding fairly to demand, it's a lottery decided by who could click fastest. This mirrors the exact pattern with SFI24, when the scheme closed abruptly and farmers were left in limbo.

"Ministers promised SFI26 would be simpler and fairer. Instead, farmers who did everything right have been locked out through no fault of their own.

"For farm businesses already under financial pressure after a wet winter, summer drought and ever rising costs, this scheme is a lifeline. Being told to wait for details of a scheme that may be available in 2027 is not good enough

"Farmers deserve better than this chaos. I am calling on Defra to urgently explain why demand vastly outstripped a budget it should have anticipated, to fix the technically issues that made the scramble worse, and to set out a clear, funded timetable so farmers get the certainty they deserve." 

ENDS