NFU and green groups unite to oppose farm budget cuts

A powerful coalition of farming and environmental groups is urging the Labour government not to slash the agricultural budget, warning that such a move would have devastating consequences for farmers, food production and the natural environment.

On Wednesday 30 April, the NFU, the Wildlife Trusts, the National Trust, the Green Alliance, Wildlife and Countryside Link, the RSPB and the Nature Friendly Farming Network UK will come together in Westminster to host a drop-in event for MPs, highlighting the critical need for sustained funding in the upcoming comprehensive Spending Review.

All MPs in England have been invited to the drop-in session at Portcullis House, and organisers hope for a good attendance from rural MPs. Banners from the groups will be displayed side by side as a sign of their united voice.

See also: £5.6bn needed to support UK food security, NFU warns

The event aims to showcase the growing consensus across the farming and environment sectors that a strong agricultural budget is essential to support the transition to sustainable land management.

An NFU spokesman said: “We recognise that the UK is facing a challenging financial situation, but our job is to fight for an appropriate and fair farming budget.

“So many of the government’s environmental targets hinge on this money. We believe it delivers an excellent return on investment for the taxpayer.”

Barnaby Coupe, senior land use manager at the Wildlife Trusts, said the stakes could not be higher.

“The farming transition has a lot riding on it. Its success or failure will determine whether rural economies thrive or wither, and whether targets to recover nature are met or missed,” he said.

SFI uncertainty

Concerns have mounted since the UK government’s sudden decision on 11 March to close to new applicants the Sustainable Farming Incentive (SFI) – a key component of England’s post-Brexit farming policy designed to reward environmental land management.

The SFI pause has caused deep uncertainty for many farmers who had already begun adjusting practices to meet climate and biodiversity goals.

Sir Keir Starmer’s Labour government has repeatedly voiced its commitment to agriculture, stating that it will invest £5bn in farming in England over the next two years and touting it as the largest farming budget in history.

However, growing speculation suggests the future farming budget may be under threat, as pressure mounts from the Treasury to tighten public spending and redirect resources toward priority areas such as defence and healthcare.

“Cuts would be devastating – for farmers, for the ability of food producers to respond to climate change, and for the chances of restoring nature before it is too late,” Mr Coupe warned.

“As one voice, we urge the chancellor [Rachel Reeves] to reflect and not make a choice that will prove calamitous for the countryside.”

A National Trust spokesman said: “Farmers are already facing real uncertainty, and with the SFI now on hold, the situation for many feels increasingly precarious.

“As we said to the chancellor in a letter last month, while a short-term budget cut may seem attractive given the country’s finances, it’ll only deepen the spending black hole in future and put a successful farming transition in jeopardy.”

Both Defra and the Treasury told Farmers Weekly they did not comment on future spending decisions.