The current IT system will not allow common land agreements to apply for SFI and CSHT (Countryside Stewardship Higher Tier) in 2026, nor has there been a guarantee from Defra that they will be able to apply in 2027.
Signatories to the letter have called on the Minister ensure the RPA introduces a manual system for issuing and managing common land agreements. The RPA has previously done this for SFI23 agreements.
The Foundation for Common Land, who penned the letter, has said that only around 250 common land applications would need to be processed manually over the next three years.
Upon signing the letter, NFU Vice-president Robyn Munt said: “The NFU, working with other farming partners, has ensured that Defra ministers are well aware of importance of retaining and recruiting common land into ELMs agreements.”
Computer says no
The letter states that it is ‘inequitable that the marginal farm businesses that manage this iconic land, that comprises 21% of England’s SSSIs (Site of Special Scientific Interest) are being excluded from the new schemes. There is huge energy and interest by these businesses to do more for nature recovery and climate resilience yet they are being prevented by the “computer saying no”.’
Defra has reformed the SFI offer for 2026, with the first application window for ‘small farms’ and those without an ELMs agreement due to open in June. The Higher Tier Capital Grants offer opened on 5 January 2026 and remains open for applications all year, while CSHT is being managed with a controlled rollout, so only those who have received a pre-invitation can apply.
