The NFU has issued a stark warning to Defra that funding for Environmental Land Management schemes (ELMs) is falling short of farmers’ ambition to deliver for the environment.
Today’s (Thursday 11 June) announcements on budgets for the Sustainable Farming Incentive 2026 (SFI26) and Countryside Stewardship Higher Tier (CSHT) give some welcome certainty. But they come as farmers face sharply rising costs of fuel, fertiliser and electricity, driven by the conflict in the Middle East.
Against this backdrop, the NFU says funding is not enough to meet demand or cover the investment farm businesses are making in the public goods being delivered for the environment.
NFU Vice-president Robyn Munt said: “Today’s budgets for key agri-environment schemes provide welcome certainty for farmers and growers, giving them a clearer basis to plan for their businesses. However, it is becoming abundantly clear that there is a significant gap between government and farmers ambition for ELMs and the funding to deliver it. At a time when farm businesses are already hard pressed by the Middle East conflict, we urge Defra Ministers to step up funding to meet demand from farmers to deliver for the environment and food security.
“With over 13,000 Countryside Stewardship Mid-Tier schemes ending this year, there is a real risk the budget won’t stretch far enough to support those already delivering for nature to move into SFI26. These are farmers who have spent years investing in hedgerows, looking after our waterways and creating habitats. This contract with government must not be broken at such a critical time, bearing in mind the legislative targets government itself has set for environment delivery.
“We are incredibly frustrated that farmer ambition isn’t being met by government funding to deliver on all our agri-environment objectives.
“We’ve always been clear that a £5.6 billion agriculture budget is needed to maintain that contract for public money to be spent on public goods. Ministers must ensure there is sufficient funding to keep pace with demand for sustainable farming and with government policy to invest in farming for the delivery of those public goods.”
