Farmers Say £233m Environmental Fund Gone In Under Six Hours — 'A Fastest-Finger-First' Scramble

Farmers across England have criticised the rollout of this year’s £233 million Sustainable Farming Incentive (SFI) after the scheme’s available funds were fully allocated in under six hours. Several family farms, including the five-generation Morris family at Black Lion Farm in Shropshire, say they missed out despite applying during the short window and now face having to revise planned investments.

What Happened

Applications for the SFI opened at 10:00 BST on Tuesday 22 September and, according to official figures, the funding pot was exhausted by 15:48 BST the same day. The SFI is a post-Brexit scheme that rewards farmers and landowners for environmentally friendly land management. Each farm business may hold only one SFI agreement at a time, most agreements run for three years, and annual payments are capped at £100,000 per year.

Farmers' Experiences

Dan Morris, who runs Black Lion Farm near Church Pulverbatch, said he and his 20‑year‑old daughter Imogen applied during the window but received a message that funds had already closed. "It felt like a fastest-finger-first competition," Morris said, adding that the automated reply left them "bewildered" and concerned because SFI payments had formed "a large part of our forecast profit for next year." The family had planned to use funds for measures such as fencing off streams, allowing hedgerows to grow and diversifying vegetation to protect water and improve biodiversity.

Other farmers reported similar frustrations. Rory Lay, who farms beef, sheep and arable near Wem, secured funding but described the day as "literally a mad scramble," saying he had to rush his application and omit some options he would otherwise have chosen. Lay warned that the result may mean doing "less for the environment" because he chose to secure some funding rather than risk none at all.

The Morris family had planned to spend some SFI funding on fencing off streams to protect them from their cows [Ellen Knight/BBC]

Personal and logistical reasons also contributed to missed applications: some farmers were working in the fields, hosting school visits, or attending funerals — including one for two farmers who died in a slurry accident — and therefore did not know the window would open and close so quickly.

Union And Government Responses

The National Farmers' Union (NFU) called for a clear explanation, with vice-president Robyn Munt saying the rapid uptake was unsurprising and the closure in under six hours "shows the scale of demand" for environmental and resilience investment. She added that current cashflow pressures on farms made access to the scheme particularly urgent.

Farming Minister Stephen Morgan said he had "heard the concerns" and is "determined to work closely with farmers as we learn lessons from this year," including exploring alternatives to the first-come, first-served approach. The minister noted the successful agreements will deliver "almost a third of a billion pounds each year, for three years," and that capping awards at £100,000 was designed to distribute funding more widely after previous patterns where a quarter of funding went to just 4% of claimants.

The Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs (Defra) said further information about future opportunities will be provided soon, with the next major window expected in 2027.

Impact And Next Steps

Farmers say the way the scheme was run this year has left many struggling to plan. Those who missed out must reconsider capital projects and environmental improvements that depended on the SFI payments. The debate now centres on whether future rounds should use a rolling application, prioritisation criteria, or another mechanism to ensure fairer access and give time for farms to prepare complete applications.

Key voices: Dan and Imogen Morris (Black Lion Farm), farmer Rory Lay (Wem), NFU vice-president Robyn Munt, Farming Minister Stephen Morgan, and Defra.