government funding

Simon Britton, of Knight Frank, said struggling 'upland farmers' could benefit from a redesign of the Sustainable Farming Incentive (SFI) scheme but arable and lowland livestock farms may need to 'reconsider expectations'

Patrick Holden, chief executive of the Sustainable Food Trust, has called for a ‘coalition of stakeholders' to reward farmers for ‘positive climate, nature and social outcomes' as part of a ‘Sustainable Markets Initiative'

Exmoor farmer Robin Milton said ‘trust and confidence in SFI had been wrecked' and it would take ‘some exceptionally good assurance' before many farmers would trust integrating it into their business again

James Turner, steering group member of Clee View Farmers, conveys the group's reaction to the Government's closure of SFI 24

TFA representative George Renner said despite indication from Farming Minister Daniel Zeichner at an ‘emergency' industry roundtable that a ‘stripped back version' of SFI would be available this summer, commitments from the Minister were still ‘very woolly'

Ulster Farmers' Union said the failure to allocate separate funding for TB control, particularly to support wildlife intervention measures, was a 'missed opportunity'

In today's Farming in Five, chief reporter Rachael Brown analyses the fall out from the closure of the Sustainable Farming Incentive (SFI), with the Farming Minister telling MPs that farmers were not given notice on closure as it would have led to a 'further spike in applications'. The National Trust says Defra's decision to close SFI to new applications will leave farmers facing a 'four month funding gap'. And she takes a look at the NFU's farmer confidence survey which is reportedly at an 'all time low'

Despite the Government's own website stating that it would give farmers six week notice before the closure of SFI, the Farming Minister Daniel Zeichner said it was not possible, as it would have led to a ‘further spike in applications'

Defra Secretary Steve Reed said farmers and land managers who had been the ‘pioneers of nature-friendly farming', would now ‘finally get a fair price for their work'

In today's Farming in Five, chief reporter Rachael Brown gives the main headlines from NFU conference, takes a look at the details of the Defra Secretary's speech, what farmers and industry representatives thought, and what's next for the family farm tax campaign?