Commons Sense

House of Commons · Ministers' Questions

Sustainable Farming Incentive

Thursday 4 September 2025 · 3 questions

Summarised by AI from the official record, so it can contain mistakes.

Read the full transcript on Parliament.uk

At a glance

Answered 0 Partly answered 3 Not answered 0

Key points

  • Ministerial protections for the agriculture budget and funding for sustainable farming are welcomed.
  • Farmers in Mid Buckinghamshire express uncertainty about the future of the SFI.
  • Herbal leys have been effective during dry weather and are now available to smaller enterprises.

Topics (select to filter)

Questions & Answers

Q1 Alistair Strathern Lab Hitchin
Agriculture & Rural Affairs
Context

The National Farmers Union and farmers in Alistair Strathern's constituency have welcomed the protections for the agriculture budget but are concerned about small and medium-sized farms' access to the sustainable farming incentive.

Question

Like the National Farmers Union, I welcome the protections for the agriculture budget in the recent spending review, including crucial funding for sustainable farming. On visits to farmers in my constituency, the difference this is making is clear: it is investing in our countryside and supporting nature-based farming. However, far too many farmers on small and medium-sized farms tell me that the scheme is far too difficult for them to access at the moment. Those are exactly the farmers who are also likely to be locked out of private nature-based financing options, so how can we work with those farmers to reform the scheme and ensure that more of those small and medium-sized farms can benefit from this crucial funding?

Answer from The Minister for Food Security and Rural Affairs (Daniel Zeichner)

My hon. Friend makes an important point, and I commend him on his interest and insight. He is absolutely right, and we are learning from past SFI iterations and from what we are hearing from farmers to improve the SFI for all farmers and to ensure we can give better guidance and that everyone can have a share of the pie. We are also looking into a new local advice and collaboration offer, as well as considering how we can get the best environmental outcomes from the money we are spending.

Partly answered

Not addressed: Did not specify concrete steps or timeline to improve access for small and medium-sized farms beyond general statements of intent.

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Q2 Greg Smith Con Mid Buckinghamshire
Agriculture & Rural Affairs
Context

Farmers in Greg Smith's constituency are concerned about the uncertainty over the future of the SFI, which is impacting their ability to plan for the future.

Question

After the elephant in the room that is the farm-destroying family farm tax, the No. 1 issue that is raised with me by Mid Buckinghamshire farmers—not least at the Bucks county show last week—is the uncertainty over the future of the SFI. I do not think it is going to cut it with farmers to say that further details will be provided in due course. They need certainty and they need it now, so will the Minister come to the Dispatch Box and put a firm date on when farms will have that certainty, as well as assuring them that the new SFI will have food production at its heart?

Answer from The Minister for Food Security and Rural Affairs (Daniel Zeichner)

The hon. Gentleman will be pleased to know that we will be making announcements on this very shortly. We are picking up a disastrous mess inherited from the previous Government who were quite cavalier about the way in which these schemes were run. We are having to clear up that mess, but I absolutely sympathise with farmers, who should not have been put in that position in the first place.

Partly answered

Not addressed: Did not provide a specific date or timeline for when announcements will be made.

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Q3 Vikki Slade Lib Dem Mid Dorset and North Poole
Climate Agriculture & Rural Affairs
Context

Mr Randall, who runs Goodens farm in Mid Dorset, has used the sustainable farming incentive to start growing herbal leys but is now locked out of the scheme.

Question

Given the Secretary of State’s love of Dorset, I would love to invite him to Mid Dorset, where Goodens farm is doing some really innovative things on very small family farms, especially with manure. Mr Randall, who runs that farm, joined the sustainable farming incentive last year, which enabled him to start growing a new crop—herbal leys. Because climate change is making farming so tough, he is trying everything he can to keep his business going. The SFI allowed him to take that risk, but it is no longer available to him. As he put it, we need farm security if we want food security, so what steps is the Minister taking to look after farmers on our very smallest farms, who are critical to food production?

Answer from The Minister for Food Security and Rural Affairs (Daniel Zeichner)

There was a lot in that question. The hon. Lady is absolutely right that herbal leys have been very effective, and many people have seen the impact they have had during the dry weather. It is also interesting that these schemes are now available to much smaller enterprises than they ever were under the previous schemes. There is much that can be done, and we are redesigning the schemes to make them work towards achieving exactly the outcomes that the hon. Lady is seeking.

Partly answered

Not addressed: Did not provide specific steps or timeline for redesigning the schemes.

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