Meat body urges Defra to rethink SFI legume fallow rules

The Association of Independent Meat Suppliers (Aims) has urged Defra to rethink the Sustainable Farming Incentive’s (SFI) legume fallow option, arguing farmers should be allowed to harvest and sell crops grown under the scheme.

Under SFI 2026, the action pays £532/ha, reduced from £593/ha in previous years, after Defra concluded the payment had become too attractive and risked taking productive land out of food production.

Speaking to Farmers Weekly, Aims head of communications Tony Goodger described the policy as “morally outrageous”.

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“Why is the government incentivising farmers with cash payments to grow things which cannot be consumed?” he asked.

“If we’re planting something and growing it, we should be harvesting it and reaping the benefit for the UK’s food security.”

Imported soya alternative

Mr Goodger said harvested legumes could reduce reliance on imported soya for pig and poultry feed, strengthen domestic food production and improve the environmental credentials of British livestock production.

The comments follow publication of the Food Foundation’s report Unlocking the Potential of Bean, Pulse and Legume Cultivation in the UK (opens in PDF), which argues current SFI rules discourage farmers from growing harvestable protein crops.

It recommends allowing legumes grown under the option to be harvested, with any new payment funded from additional budget or savings elsewhere.

The proposal echoes recommendations in Baroness Minette Batters’ 2025 Farm Profitability Review, which called for stronger incentives for home-grown protein crops.

The NFU has also urged government to do more to encourage domestic protein production and reduce reliance on imported soya.

Farmers Weekly understands Defra is considering whether future support for harvested pulse crops could contribute to environmental objectives while offering value for money, without displacing other crops.

Defra response

However, Defra stressed the current option is designed to deliver environmental rather than production benefits.

A spokesman said the legume fallow action has always been a fallow option since its introduction in agri-environment schemes in 2015-16 – and is intended to improve soil health, increase organic matter, reduce fertiliser requirements and support pollinators and farmland birds.

“The payment rate is based on the income foregone from taking land out of production, not on subsidising commercially viable crops,” the spokesman said.

Geoff Sansome, former head of agriculture at Natural England, said Defra had never allowed legume fallows to be harvested for food or feed.

“The payment is calculated on the basis that it is a ‘lost crop’. If it was harvested, it [the payment] would be down to about £100/ha,” he explained.

But Mr Goodger urged the government to rethink the approach, saying: “The government should be encouraging farmers to grow food, not paying them to grow crops that they are not allowed to use.”