SFI26 Window 2 closes – NFU demands urgent answers
The NFU is calling for clarity and urgency from Defra after the rapid closure of SFI26 Window 2 less than six hours after opening, following the NFU’s repeated warnings of a lack of sufficient budget.
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Defra announced that SFI26 Window 2 had closed on 22 September after opening that morning.
The window was closed when Defra had enough applications to allocate the full £233 million budget.
NFU Vice-president Robyn Munt said: “The rapid uptake of the scheme comes as no surprise. We have made the demand clear to Defra for some time.
“Its closure in less than six hours shows the scale of demand there is from farmers to deliver for the environment and to invest in farm resilience.”
A further £20m was announced by the Farming Minister on 23 September to support claims submitted by the closure of the window.
What you need to know
- SFI26 Window 2 budget was fully allocated less than six hours after opening on 22 September
- NFU is pressing for urgent clarification and support
- Further announcements from Defra expected
- Members – share your views on SFI27
“We have warned Defra for months that the available budget would not meet demand of those farmers wanting to deliver for the environment and sustainable farming.”
NFU Vice-president Robyn Munt
Members have been contacting us from across the regions to express their frustration, anger and disappointment and the urgent need for action.
Suffolk farmer Colin Clifton-Brown, commenting on the issues, said it was a “totally unacceptable farce”.
He went on to say: “It took me an hour to get onto the website to start with and, although I then completed the application, I was unable to submit it, presumably because the window had closed without warning.”
If you need professional advice, NFU CallFirst are available as part of your NFU membership on 0370 845 8458.
For advice on what to do if you experienced issues with SFI26 Window 2, read: 3 steps to take if you experienced issues with SFI26 Window 2
For guidance on the RPA’s complaints process, visit: GOV.UK | Complaints procedure
For raising an SFI-specific query, visit: GOV.UK | Sustainable Farming Incentive query form
NFU warned Defra over limited budget
Robyn Munt continued: “The current cash flow pressures facing farmers and growers only exacerbates that demand as they look for certainty and clarity for the year ahead. But those that missed out have been left with even greater uncertainty as the sector doesn’t have a commitment from government for SFI27 and access to Countryside Stewardship Higher Tier. We know the uncertainty and financial pressure this creates for those businesses.
“We have warned Defra for months that the available budget would not meet demand of those farmers wanting to deliver for the environment and sustainable farming. The additional funding announced by the Prime Minister in August was welcome, but with thousands of agreements ending this year, it was clear that it wasn’t enough to plug the gap in the budget needed and it fails many who have been committed to such schemes for many years.
“Yet again, Defra has created a position where there are the ‘haves’ and the ‘have nots’ in the sector based purely on the speed of pressing a button. This comes at the same time as the department says it wants a reset with the farming industry. Instead, it has further damaged business confidence that is already at rock bottom.”
Government promised more – but where is it?
Robyn Munt added: “The Farming Minister’s response to the closure suggests that there will be further announcements and we look forward to hearing what these next stages are.
“These must come urgently, with clear information on what schemes will be available and when. For food producing businesses already questioning whether they can survive the year ahead, this clarity is critical.”
Immediate NFU action
We wrote to MPs and Peers explaining the situation and the urgency of providing clarity and restoring farmer confidence.
SFI was front and centre of the NFU’s conversations at the Labour Party Conference, which began on Sunday 27 September.
The NFU hosted a breakfast event on Monday morning with the Secretary of State and MPs in attendance.
NFU President Tom Bradshaw and NFU members in the room reiterated strong concerns on SFI and made clear the NFU asks.
Tom highlighted that government did not listen to the NFU’s repeated warnings over budget and deplored the first come, first served approach to budget allocation, stating “we cannot go on like this”.
He made it clear that government needed to learn from SFI26 Window 2 – crucially, to ensure the budget for SFI27 matches farmers’ ambitions to deliver environmental improvement – and open SFI27 early, allowing agreements to begin from 1 April.
The rapid closure of SFI26 Window 2 also makes the upcoming Budget on 28 October even more important – find out what we said to Chancellor John Healey ahead of the Autumn Budget about the urgent need to strengthen Britain’s food security.
Our asks on SFI
Taking our asks to the heart of government, we will be urgently pressing Defra on behalf of the farming sector to:
- Open SFI27 in early 2027, to allow agreements to start from 1 April, prioritising those with expiring agreements to minimise gaps in environmental payments. This should be followed by regular opportunities to access SFI.
- Address the unfairness – ensure the budget for SFI27 can match farmers’ ambitions to deliver environmental improvement, including those with expiring agreements.
- Explain where the missing £210 million has gone – given the value of expiring agreements was more than £520 million, and the budget across both application windows was £310 million, Defra need to explain the discrepancy, providing the transparency farmers need.
- Enable common land to access both SFI and CSHT (Countryside Stewardship Higher Tier).
- Publish a clear ELMs (Environmental Land Management) roadmap covering the remainder of this Parliament which sets out when farmers and growers can expect new ELMs schemes to be opened, so that they can plan their business options.
- Secure a review, conducted and published by the RPA (Rural Payments Agency), into the barriers encountered by applicants on 22 September 2026, including an assessment of the number of incomplete or unsuccessful applications
What has the NFU been doing?
The NFU has sought clarity for members on SFI at every turn from the future of the SFI scheme to the members in expiring agreements being able to gain crucial access to SFI26 Window 2.
Surveying members back in February provided us with the perspectives of more than 600 of our members, ensuring our asks on SFI were as closely aligned as possible to the needs of our members.
This centred around a key and irrevocable fact that the NFU has continued to lobby on – that current supplies will not fulfil the demand to match farmers’ ambitions to deliver for the environment across the ELM (Environmental Land Management) schemes.
When SFI26 Window 2 opened, we briefed MPs and Peers about our concerns, and its short-lived application window has become a focal point for NFU lobbying to highlight the urgency of maximising the SFI budget going forward.
You can keep track of all NFU activity on SFI via our lobbying and advocacy timeline.
Have your say
Efra has launched a survey on the problems encountered while accessing SFI26 Window 2 – take part in the survey.
Thank you to everyone who has shared their experiences and fed into our discussions with government so far – see where we have taken your feedback so far on our SFI lobbying timeline.
Your feedback has been crucial in painting a picture for Defra of the financial, environmental and personal costs associated with missing out on SFI26 Window 2, as well as the stresses and anxiety experienced while encountering difficulties during the application process.
We are now also seeking feedback on what a future SFI offer could look like.
If you haven’t provided us with your feedback on SFI26 Window 2 yet, we are continuing to gather this vital information to inform our lobbying and policy work.
Please share your experiences of the application process and tell us the full impact missing out on the window will have on your farm business by emailing NFU CallFirst.
