Sustainable Farming Incentive funding exhaustion impacts Cornwall farmers

Farmers in South East Cornwall are facing significant financial uncertainty due to the application process for England’s 2026 Sustainable Farming Incentive (SFI). The program, which replaces former EU subsidies by paying farmers to manage soil health, hedgerows, and nature protection, has implemented a first-come, first-served application system.

This method has resulted in a high-stakes scramble, with the national budget reportedly exhausted in under six hours. The shortage of funds has left many farmers unable to secure the support necessary for their business viability, even after completing intensive environmental work. The crisis is attributed to a bottleneck caused by the expiration of Mid Tier agreements coinciding with the launch of new SFI contracts.