Published: 12/05/2025 By George Whittaker
Earlier today, Daniel Zeichner, Minister of State at the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs (DEFRA) has made a statement, apologising for the confusion that has left many farmers worried about their financial future.He announced: “I have decided to allow applications to be made to the SFI 2024 scheme by those who had started an application within two months of 11 March 2025, but who had not submitted the application by that date. This is relevant to around 3,000 applications which were started on 12th January 2025 or later. Eligible applicants will be given a six-week window in which to make an application. My department will shortly be contacting applicants who are eligible to let them know when this window will open and close.”
Eligible applicants will be subject to the following restrictions:
1. Only one application per farm business.
2. Agreements will be offered up to a maximum value of £9,300 per year for the duration of the agreement (excluding the SFI management payment, which would not count towards the value limit). This maximum value reflects the median average agreement value for existing SFI 2024 agreements.
3. Agreement holders will not be able to add more land to ‘rotational’ SFI actions after Year 1 of their agreement.
Businesses who missed out on an SFI application earlier in the year and had started drafting an application between 12th January and 11th March 2025 may now be able to proceed when applications reopen. More detail will be announced by the Government on when applications can start.
For more information or to see how this announcement affects your business, please contact your local Symonds & Sampson office.