UK Sustainable Farming Incentive funding exhausted within six hours

The UK government’s Sustainable Farming Incentive (SFI) has been criticized as an ‘absolute mess’ following the rapid exhaustion of its second round of funding. The scheme, designed to reward farmers for improving soil health, biodiversity, and climate resilience, had approximately £253 million available for distribution.

On Tuesday, September 22, the funding window opened at 10:17 am, but the entire budget was claimed within six hours, with half of the funds committed in less than three hours. The speed of the rollout has led to descriptions of the process as a ‘lottery’ of ‘who could click fastest.’

Ben Maguire, the Liberal Democrat MP for North Cornwall, stated that the online system failed to process applications properly and criticized the government for failing to account for the practical realities of farmers' schedules. He noted that many farmers were left ‘distraught’ and ‘angry’ as the next round of funding is not expected until 2027. Maguire and his colleagues have written to the Farming Minister to demand answers regarding the situation.