Farmers' Fury as Race for £233m Funding Compared to 'Scramble for Oasis Tickets' - BBC News
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Farmers' Fury as Race for £233m Funding Compared to 'Scramble for Oasis Tickets'
Image source: Getty Images
Image caption: Many farmers rely on government payments to manage their land in more environmentally-friendly ways
By Malcolm Prior (rural affairs producer)
Thousands of farmers missed out on vital government funding after online applications for a £233m green scheme for the whole of England closed down in under six hours.
Farming and environmental groups condemned the race to secure the Sustainable Farming Incentive (SFI) funding, with some comparing it to a frantic online scramble to secure Glastonbury or Oasis gig tickets.
The post-Brexit scheme, which replaced EU subsidies with payments for farmers to look after nature and provide "public goods", opened at 10:00 BST on Tuesday but had run out of budget by 15:48 BST.
The government said farmers had responded "in force" to the scheme and there would be further funding opportunities for 2027.
Image source: Getty Images
Image caption: The SFI scheme had been shut without warning last year so demand from farmers was expected to be high
The National Farmers' Union (NFU) is calling for the government to explain why the scheme opened and closed so quickly, with so many farmers left out of pocket.
"The rapid uptake of the scheme comes as no surprise," said NFU vice-president Robyn Munt. "Its closure in less than six hours shows the scale of demand there is from farmers to deliver for the environment and to invest in farm resilience."
Vicki Hird, agriculture lead at the Wildlife Trusts, added: "The scramble for green farming schemes was worse than the dash for Oasis tickets." She urged the Treasury to recognize the need for increased funding.
The SFI scheme is vital for many farmers who have turned large swathes of their land over to nature-friendly schemes, such as planting hedges, creating wildflower margins, and protecting the soil.
When the scheme was suddenly closed without notice last year, there were concerns that some farmers might turn their backs on environmental work if they could not access the payments, and demand for Tuesday's scheme was expected to be high.
"This entire SFI system... isn't fit for purpose," said Martin Lines, who leads the Nature Friendly Farming Network (NFFN). "We need to find a better way based on continuous, whole-farm agreements."
He noted that after years of extreme weather, many farmers were relying on the funding to help adapt their farms to climate change and become more resilient.
The Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs (Defra) said it would provide further information on future opportunities for funding applications in 2027 "soon."