A farmer in Great Massingham, Norfolk, expressed significant concern after being unable to secure funding from the Sustainable Farming Initiative, a post-Brexit government program designed to support environmentally-friendly land management practices.
The SFI scheme allocated £253 million this year to farmers undertaking conservation efforts such as planting hedges, establishing wildflower margins, and implementing soil protection measures. Applications opened on September 22 at 10:00 BST and closed by 15:48 the same day after funds were exhausted. Lex Brun, who grows wheat, barley, and oilseed rape while maintaining environmental projects including wildflower areas for wildlife, completed his application at 16:00 and missed the deadline. He had sought up to £100,000 in payments to support his conservation work.
Brun described the rapid depletion of funds as unprecedented and compared the experience to competition for concert tickets. He cited mounting pressures from rising costs for fuel and fertilizer alongside weak harvest returns, stating he may now need to shift more land toward commercial crop production. The Country Land and Business Association reported that numerous farmers faced similar disappointment and called for increased government funding announcements in the upcoming budget.
Farming Minister Stephen Morgan acknowledged hearing concerns from affected farmers and indicated the government would examine lessons learned from the application process, including exploring alternatives to the current first-come, first-served system. Green MP Adrian Ramsay noted frustration among many farmers regarding both the application experience and uncertainty about future funding availability. The Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs indicated it would provide further details about 2027 funding applications soon, while government officials confirmed additional funding would be available in subsequent years.
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