Nature-Friendly Farming Budget

The Government’s decision not to extend the Sustainable Farming Incentive (SFI) scheme caused many to feel farming communities were to be forgotten. Farmers have already lost important support payments this year and should be rewarded when they contribute to nature recovery. Smaller family farmers are often hardest hit, including those earning significantly less than the minimum wage.

My Liberal Democrat Parliamentary colleagues and I are deeply concerned about the Labour Government’s apparent intention to compound the damage done to our farmers by the Conservatives, who deliberately left the farming budget with an underspend of hundreds of millions. We have called on the Government to explain how farmers can be expected to continue performing key environmental work without this scheme and what impact such a cut will have on their viability, especially for family and tenant farmers and those struggling to make ends meet. The Liberal Democrats committed and budgeted for an additional £1bn a year to support farmers, restore nature, promote sustainable production, and support the future of rural communities.

We are raising these concerns in Parliament and urging ministers to reconsider any proposal that threatens the SFI, the Environmental Land Management (ELM) scheme and the wider agricultural budget. I have written to the Chancellor to emphasise the importance of at least maintaining funding for sustainable farming practices, and securing multi-year commitments that give farmers the confidence and resources needed to invest in nature-positive farming.

You can see our spokesperson, Tim Farron MP’s, response to the Minister on the withdrawal of this scheme here: https://hansard.parliament.uk/Commons/2025-03-12/debates/45069333-2542-4FFC-9A87-C4529D99209C/details#contribution-B8D51E40-1A74-4777-9C87-C677B37FDE49.