Farmers advised to prepare now for SFI relaunch

Farmers in England are being urged to prepare now for the reopening of the Sustainable Farming Incentive (SFI), amid growing expectations that the first application window could open in mid-June.

The call comes after the Rural Payments Agency (RPA) emailed farmers who could be eligible for the first round of SFI26 applications, while Defra has also announced a series of free local events from 5-17 June, aimed at improving knowledge of the scheme.

The first SFI26 application window is due to open in June for smaller farms of up to 50ha and businesses not already in an existing Environmental Land Management scheme.

See also: Thousands of commoners face SFI and CS exclusion

Although no official launch date has yet been confirmed, Farmers Weekly understands ministers could make an announcement at Cereals on 10-11 June.

NFU vice-president Robyn Munt said farmers needed more clarity from government so they had enough time to prepare applications properly.

“We want to see that booklet and make sure that farmers have got time to prepare, and that we can make sure we’ve got the right information to share with members – so that those that can apply in June know they can, and know what they need to do to get ready for that,” she said.

“There’s always mapping to be done or something to be changed, and we want members to be able to put the best agreement they can together, and you need good lead-in time to do that.”

Ms Munt confirmed the RPA had already contacted potentially eligible businesses.

“There was an email went out to those that could be eligible for round one a couple of days ago,” she said.

“It doesn’t guarantee that you can apply into round one, but it’s sort of saying, ‘you might be eligible’, think about making sure you get your maps in order.”

The series of free regional farming update events across England during June will see officials from Defra, the RPA and Catchment Sensitive Farming provide updates on the SFI and explain what applicants need to do before the first window opens.

Locations include Bodmin, Harrogate, Hexham, Lincoln, Maidstone and Chinnor, with places available through Eventbrite registration.

Ms Munt said the NFU is also be running its own member events online and in-person events to help farmers prepare for applications and understand how SFI could fit within their businesses. For more details, see nfuonline.com.

“We’re just really looking forward to an announcement on the date for when the actual June window will open – and then what the September window will look like – making sure that we’ve got all the information available for farmers to make well-considered applications,” she said.

Ms Munt also stressed the importance of rebuilding trust in environmental schemes after the abrupt closure of previous SFI rounds.

“We want to see people have confidence in these schemes,” she said.

“Confidence won’t be built by schemes closing unexpectedly. That’s why access, resource, and budget are fundamentally important.”

The NFU is continuing to press Defra for greater transparency over the available budget for SFI26, particularly amid uncertainty over how quickly the first application window could close if demand is high.

Meanwhile, concerns remain over access for common land farmers, with commons still expected to be excluded from the SFI until at least 2027.

Ms Munt warned this was becoming “a fundamental income stream” issue for upland businesses already heavily engaged in environmental delivery schemes.