Defra June meeting reveals NFYFC grant threat

The future of government funding for the National Federation of Young Farmers’ Clubs (NFYFC) was quietly thrown into doubt months ago, newly released documents have revealed.

A Freedom of Information (FOI) request has uncovered that two Defra representatives held a meeting with one NFYFC representative on 2 June 2025, where officials indicated the group was “likely” to receive its final grant in the 2025-26 financial year.

Minutes from the meeting, obtained in response to an FOI submitted on 5 September, confirm the longstanding £30,000 discretionary grant, which supports young farmers through skills training and policy engagement, is under threat due to government budget cuts.

See also: Doubts cast over future Defra funding for NFYFC

Sarah Evered, Defra’s director for innovation, production and science, was one of two Defra representatives present at the meeting. The identity of the second Defra representative has not been disclosed, nor has the name of the NFYFC representative.

Notes from the meeting by Ms Evered state: “[We] had a grant meeting with the team to go through whether NFYFC will get one, and it is likely this was the last grant you will get. All Defra is subject to budget cuts.”

The revelation adds a new layer to Defra’s repeated public insistence that “no decisions on funding have been made”, and follows NFYFC’s confirmation it was informed in July the grant would not be renewed beyond March 2026.

‘Lack of transparency’ 

Shadow farming minister Robbie Moore MP, who submitted the FOI, said: “Despite strong denials from Defra that the NFYFC grant has been pulled, the facts speak for themselves.

“The removal of the NYFYC grant is truly shocking. Just £30,000, a mere budgetary rounding error for Defra, is being stripped away from an organisation that does so much important work for young people and the long term health of our farming workforce.

“At at time when many young farmers feel uncertain of their future, Labour should be uplifting young farmer support, not slashing it.”

In written responses to MPs in September, farming minister Dame Angela Eagle maintained that Defra “continues to work closely” with NFYFC to deliver the 2025-26 grant, but future funding will be subject to broader spending decisions.

Despite providing grants consistently over the past five years (see panel below), Defra has refused to confirm the future of the scheme beyond 2026. NFYFC has declined to comment further, but previously described the loss of support as “disappointing”.

A Defra spokesman told Farmers Weekly that its stance had not changed and that “no decisions on funding have been made and to suggest otherwise is false”. 

The spokesman added: “We’ve provided £30,000 to support the important work of the National Federation of Young Farmers’  Clubs in the 2025/2026 financial year.”

With young people’s engagement in agriculture already under pressure, sector leaders say even modest cuts risk undermining the pipeline of future farming talent.

Young farmers’ week

National Young Farmers’ Week (6–10 October) kicks off next week, as NFYFC celebrates the positive impact of YFCs on rural communities by launching a seven-year campaign of kindness and community action to mark the movement’s 100th anniversary.