2026 SFI Predictions
Date posted: 3 February 2026
The new Sustainable Farming Incentive (SFI) scheme will launch later this year. It will continue to support sustainable farming in England and help farms grow.
Based on feedback, the new SFI will be:
- simpler and more focused
- fairer and easier to access
- clearer and more predictable
This will help farmers plan with confidence. Full details will be published before applications open.
Simpler and more focused
The new SFI will have fewer actions. There will still be a wide range of options for different farms, with more focus on sustainable food production.
Changes may include:
- limiting how much land can be taken out of food production
- reviewing payments for actions where take-up has been very high
Fairness and accessibility
The aim is for more farmers to benefit from SFI. This supports the government’s goal to double the number of farms providing year-round wildlife habitats by 2030.
Certainty and transparency
There will be two application windows this year:
- June: small farms and farms without existing environmental land management agreements
- September: all farmers
Clear budgets will be set for each window, with updates as funding fills up.
Applications will not close without warning.
Definitions
Before applications open in June, clear definitions will be published for:
- what counts as a small farm
- what counts as having no existing environmental land management agreement
Only schemes run by the Rural Payments Agency (such as SFI, Countryside Stewardship, and HLS) will count. Private schemes will not.
