Shropshire farmers 'left in the lurch': MP reacts as the Government ends applications for environmental payment scheme

The Government has announced that it will stop accepting new applications for the Sustainable Farming Incentive (SFI) scheme which pays farmers to adopt and maintain farming practices that help to produce food sustainably and protect the environment.

North Shropshire MP, Helen Morgan labelled the decision as "weak" and said it has left farmers "in the lurch".

The SFI scheme was introduced by the previous Government as part of its post-Brexit Environmental Land Management programme to encourage sustainable farming practices.

It pays farmers for sustainable food production practices while protecting and enhancing nature. 

The Government said it currently has more than 37,000 multi-year live agreements and that 800,000 hectares of arable land are now farmed without insecticides as a result of the scheme - reducing harm to pollinators and improving soil health.  

However, an announcement on Tuesday (March 11) said it would no longer accept applications for the scheme and that it was time for a "reset". 

Mrs Morgan has not hid her disapproval of the decision and challenged Farming Minister, Daniel Zeichner on the topic in Parliament on Wednesday (March 12). 

She said it has left farming businesses in Shropshire in "crisis", and without support which they had been relying on to plan for the future.

The Government said "every penny" in all existing SFI agreements will be paid to farmers, and that outstanding eligible applications which have been submitted will be processed.  

But, the North Shropshire MP said she has spoken with farmers in Melverley and across the region who have spent months - some even years - planning their applications but have now been left scrambling for alternatives. 

Helen Morgan MP said: "Farmers in Shropshire are deeply committed to improving the environment and farming in a sustainable way. But they are also running businesses and need certainty to plan ahead. This abrupt decision has left them in the lurch.

"I have spoken to farmers who have been waiting for months - sometimes years -to apply for these grants, only to be told at the last minute that they now cannot proceed. Some are new entrants trying to register their land, others are generational farmers attempting to pass farms on to their children. 

"In Melverley, one farmer has no internet or phone reception and has been relying on neighbours just to contact the Rural Payments Agency. He was working through the application process yesterday and has now been told it’s too late. This is completely unacceptable.

"The Government’s response in Parliament was weak. Ministers pointed to other funding streams, but those funds do not help farmers who have been explicitly waiting for the promised SFI options. They have been misled and left with no time to adapt.

"The Government must urgently clarify what the replacement scheme will look like and how affected farmers will be supported. We cannot have farming businesses forced to make decisions in the dark due to chaotic policymaking."

The Government said nothing will change for farmers who already have an SFI agreement, and that they will continue to receive payments as normal under the terms of their agreement.

It added that a "reformed SFI scheme" with a budget will be confirmed in the Spending Review this summer.