Farming leaders challenge food security minister on SFI closure
18th March 2025
A farming roundtable organised by the NFU has met with food security and rural affairs minister Daniel Zeichner to explain the crushing impact of Defra’s decision to close the Sustainable Farming Incentive (SFI) and raise the urgent need for transparency from Defra.
Farming representatives called on the minister to, among others, unlock the SFI scheme for the thousands of farmers who have begun agreements but are now unable to be paid for the work they have completed and provide more information about the future of the SFI scheme.
They also asked Defra to build trust in the farming industry by being transparent about the agriculture budget and its allocations and undertake impact assessments, looking at what the decision means for the agricultural transition.
READ MORE: Farmers ‘betrayed again’ as Defra stops SFI applications
READ MORE: Industry calls for interim farm support scheme following SFI chaos
Businesses on ‘a knife edge’
NFU president Tom Bradshaw said that the closure of SFI is a “devastating shock” for farmers and leaves businesses on “a knife edge” when they were already struggling with the impact of the changes to inheritance tax.
He added: “We made it clear to the minister that this decision not only threatens the livelihoods of numerous farmers, especially upland farmers, commoners and tenants, but also undermines the ability of farm businesses to deliver environmental work. We also explained how it has crushed all trust in Defra.
“Our recent farm business confidence survey results show that farmer confidence has reached an all-time low. The uncertainty caused by this abrupt policy change will erode any confidence that was left in the farming community.
“Farmers need stability to plan for the future, invest in their businesses and continue their role as stewards of the countryside. The withdrawal of SFI leaves many facing the dilemma of whether they can afford to continue implementing environmental work, ultimately putting both food production and sustainability targets at risk.
“For the sake of our domestic food-producing businesses, it is vital Defra provides urgent clarity on the future of SFI and starts being transparent about its budget, something we’ve been asking for years.”
Mr Bradshaw said that as a start, the minister could ensure that those farmers who feel abandoned, the people that have started applications and done the work, are able to enter into agreements.
“If the government wants to meet its own environmental targets and keeping British produce on our plates, it must start listening to and working with the industry before it’s too late,” he concluded.
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