Almost 80% of farmers who were eligible to take up a hard-won, one-year extension to their expiring CSMT (Countryside Stewardship Mid Tier) agreement have now accepted, the Rural Payments Agency has confirmed. This equates to more than 4,000 extension agreements, with a value of £59 million.
The one-year extensions were announced in October, benefitting 5,000 CSMT agreements due to expire in December 2025. This followed months of NFU lobbying to prevent a cliff-edge caused by the abrupt closure of the SFI to new entrants and delays in its replacement, resulting in no access to SFI for expiring agreements.
“It’s now crucial that Defra sets out a clear long-term plan for agri-environment policy.”
NFU Deputy President David Exwood
Long-term plan needed
In some cases, the extensions have safeguarded decades of environmental work.
NFU Deputy President David Exwood said securing the extension was a positive outcome for the NFU, giving “thousands of farmers much needed certainty for the year ahead”.
“It shows farmers remain committed to delivering for the environment, even at a time when there was limited information about the future of the SFI offer,” he added. “It’s also good to see that the RPA has now processed all applications, so applicants have clarity before submitting their scheme claims this spring."
Farming Minister Dame Angela Eagle said that it was “heartening” to see that most farmers offered an extension have accepted.
“With 27,800 farmers in agri-environment schemes due to see their agreements end in the 2026/27 financial year, it’s now crucial that Defra sets out a clear long-term plan for agri-environment policy, including further detail on the future of SFI,” David added.
At the Oxford Farming Conference at the start of the year, Defra Secretary Emma Reynolds outlined the government’s reforms to SFI, with two applications windows due to open this year in June and September.
