STORY
The Government has opened the second application window for the 2026 Sustainable Farming Incentive, making £233 million available to farmers and land managers in England. The scheme provides payments in return for measures intended to support sustainable food production, improve the environment and make farms more resilient to drought and changing weather conditions.
The funding includes the additional £50 million announced by the Prime Minister in August, alongside £3 million which was not allocated during the first application window. The Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs said the first window received 7,000 applications, with 3,100 agreements operational by 1 September and payments already reaching participating farms.
Farmers and land managers with at least three hectares of eligible agricultural land may apply. Around 21,000 farms with existing environmental land management agreements due to expire by the end of February 2027 will also be permitted to seek their next agreement early, before their current funding ends. Farming Minister Stephen Morgan said domestic food production was a matter of national security and that the funding would help businesses respond to climate related risks.