Thank you for contacting me about factory farming.
There are a number of different farming systems within the UK and farms of all sizes have a role to play in promoting sustainable UK agriculture. All farms must comply with comprehensive UK law on animal health and welfare, planning, veterinary medicines and environmental legislation. This includes the Nitrates and Silage, Slurry and Agricultural Fuel Oil regulations, which require manure produced in livestock housing (including slurry) to be stored responsibly and for a long enough time to ensure it is spread in a way that minimises water pollution. Furthermore, the Farming Rules for Water and Nitrates regulations require these manures to be spread according to appropriate volumes, locations and timescales to minimise pollution.
Through the Sustainable Farming Incentive (SFI), farmers have been paid to manage pollution and improve soil health.
However, in March 2025, the Government sneaked out an announcement that they were halting the SFI scheme immediately. Details on a new scheme were promised by summer 2025 yet months passed and there was still minimal information shared about it. In January 2026, the Government announced the earliest the scheme will reopen to applications is June 2026 for small farms and those not in any other ELM scheme. There will then be a second application round opening in September 2026 for all farms.
In late February 2026, the Government finally announced eligibility criteria, including that the new SFI will have a cap. I worry that this, combined with the Government's decision to reduce the number of actions the SFI supports from 102 to 71, risks a decrease in ambition.
I am also concerned that several popular actions will see reduced rates for new SFI26 agreements, including herbal leys (£382 per hectare to £224 per hectare), a reduction of over 40 per cent. Furthermore, the Government is yet to publish the budget for SFI, which matters all the more after the sudden closure previously.
The Government does not seem to understand that farms are businesses, and they need long-term certainty to plan ahead.
Thank you again for taking the time to contact me.