sustainable farming incentive

On today's Farming in Five, chief reporter Rachael Brown gives the latest on the first case of avian flu found in a single sheep in Yorkshire, the foot-and-mouth outbreak in Slovakia – where the disease has been found on three separate farms, and the Tenant Farmers Association's call on Defra to allow 'in-flight' SFI applications to be processed

James and Isobel have three young children and recently bought their first farm, running beef and sheep over 13.8 hectares (34 acres), renting a further 44.5ha (110 acres). James works for tech firm Breedr as a product manager

The Tenant Farmers Association has asked Defra to provide details of the number of 'in-flight' SFI applications on the RPA system before the scheme was closed

Sarah Dyke, Liberal Democrats MP for Glastonbury and Somerton, writes about how farmers feel stranded and let down following Defra's sudden decision to close SFI applications

National Sheep Association (NSA) chief executive Phil Stocker shares his thoughts following a meeting on March 17 with Farming Minister Daniel Zeichner and other industry leaders to discuss the closure of SFI

Hosts of The Rest is Politics podcast discuss why Labour should change their mind on Inheritance Tax changes, why rural Labour MPs are under pressure to deliver for farmers and the importance of direct payments in agriculture

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

In today's Farming in Five, chief reporter Rachael Brown reports on a letter sent by the Efra Committee chair, Alistair Carmichael to the Farming Minister calling on the Government to focus on five key areas to improve fairness and resilience in the food supply chain. Later today Mr Carmichael will be presenting his food supply chain fairness bill in Parliament. And the absence of rural crime in the Government's Crime and Policing Bill has been branded 'unacceptable' by a Liberal Democrat MP