Farmers in England are concerned that they won’t be able to continue restoring nature and cutting carbon emissions after government funding to support these efforts was paused.
Environment Secretary Steve Reed recently announced a halt to the Sustainable Farming Incentive (SFI) scheme. This program pays farmers to make space for nature on their land, but it’s now under review ahead of the upcoming spending decisions in June. The scope and budget of the scheme are being reassessed, and Reed is considering preventing wealthier farmers from applying.
The SFI is one of several schemes that replaced the EU’s Common Agricultural Policy, shifting payments toward environmental stewardship instead of simply rewarding land ownership or farming output.
With 70% of land in England being farmed, supporting farmers to create habitats—like planting trees, digging ponds, and growing wildflowers—is essential for nature recovery.
Amelia Greenaway, 24, farms native cattle and pigs on 900 acres at the National Trust’s Killerton Estate in Devon. She had applied for £94,000 in SFI payments before the scheme was frozen.
“As an organic farm, we’re already sustainable,” Greenaway said. “But we wanted to go further by growing our own pig feed and sowing wildflowers to help pollinators. Now we can’t afford the seeds.”
As a tenant farmer, applying for such funding is already challenging, requiring coordination with landlords. Greenaway said the application process had taken months and involved extensive paperwork. “All that planning has been wasted,” she added.
She’s losing faith in government support and believes farmers may need to fund nature recovery themselves. “The subsidy wasn’t essential, but it helped us reinvest in the farm. Without it, progress could stall.”
Greenaway is grateful for her supportive landlord—the National Trust—but knows not all farmers are as lucky. She worries that the uncertainty will discourage others from pursuing environmentally friendly farming.
“This back-and-forth makes farmers lose trust. Those who were considering regenerative practices might now shift toward more intensive farming instead,” she said.
Anthony Curwen, 63, manages Quex Park in Kent, where his team farms wheat, oats, beans, and more across 2,500 acres. He applied for the SFI just before applications closed and now feels left in the dark.
“It was a real shock,” he said. “We’ve already been planting nature strips, cover crops, and stopped using insecticides. We were hoping for funding to continue this work.”
Curwen has seen the return of birds and insects to his land, including turtle doves and yellowhammers. But he’s concerned that other farmers won’t be able to take the same steps without support.
“Most farmers need help to make this transition. It’s not easy, and it takes time and trust,” he said, warning that confidence in the government’s environmental plans is fading.
He’s also critical of the idea to exclude high-earning farms from the scheme. “Nature matters on every farm, big or small,” he said. “If big farms lose access to support, they might resort to more pesticides and intensive methods, which hurts nature.”
Despite adopting more sustainable practices, Curwen says his farm’s productivity hasn’t dropped. “In fact, circular farming has improved food security. But all that progress is now at risk due to poor decision-making.”
Initially doubtful of regenerative farming, Curwen is now a strong advocate and part of the Nature Friendly Farming Network. “I’m disheartened. I thought we were leading the way, but now everything feels uncertain.”
