The first Sustainable Farming Incentive agreements for 2024 are now live as the government starts to deliver on its commitment to restore stability for the farming sector by continuing the controlled rollout of the scheme.
Commenting, Farming Minister, Daniel Zeichner said: “This Government recognises that food security is national security. We said we would provide stability for farmers and we are delivering on this commitment by confirming that the first Sustainable Farming Incentive agreements are now live.
“This is the first step to increase farmer confidence, as part of our new deal for farmers, to boost Britain’s food security, restore nature and support rural economic growth. We will optimise Environmental Land Management schemes so they produce the right outcomes for all farmers – including those who have been too often ignored such as small, grassland, upland and tenanted farms.
“We will protect farmers from being undercut in trade deals, make the supply chain work more fairly, prevent shock rises in bills by switching on GB Energy and use the government’s purchasing power to back British produce.”
RPA issues first round of delinked payments
Coinciding with the announcement of the first SFI agreements of the year, the Rural Payments Agency (RPA) has announced that 98% of eligible farmers have received the first instalments of delinked payments.
This means that £401m has been released, with the second instalment being brought forward to be paid from the 30th of September.
RPA chief executive Paul Caldwell said: “I know that farmers have continued to face a range of challenges this year, with the wet weather and rising costs impacting bottom lines.
“I am pleased that we have made the first instalment and this year have been able to bring forward the second instalment, which will be paid from 30 September. We will continue to make sure farmers are paid promptly to improve cash flow during this challenging period.”