New applicants to the Sustainable Farming Incentive (SFI) will only be able to put 25% of their land into six actions that take land out of food production, Defra has confirmed.
It comes after around 1% of farmers that applied to SFI 2023 applied to put 80% or more of their farm into six non-productive actions.
Defra said today (25 March), that it will cap the six actions in order to "support farmers primary role of food production".
It said that these non-food production SFI actions were being used "more than intended", but only in "a small number of cases".
Under the changes, applicants will only be able to put 25% of their land into the six actions that take land out of direct food production.
These include flower-rich grass margins, pollen and nectar flower mix, winter bird food on arable and horticultural land and grassy field corners and blocks.
Improved grassland field corners or blocks out of management and winter bird food on improved grassland are also included.
Defra said the changes would ensure the scheme continued to support farmers to produce food sustainably.
It stressed that the vast majority of land in the SFI scheme was used to produce food.
Farming Minister Mark Spencer said: “Food production is the primary purpose of farming and today we are taking action to clarify this principle.
“The six actions we are capping were always intended to be implemented on smaller areas of land, and these changes will help to maintain this intention and continue our commitment to maintain domestic food production."
The SFI, England's post-Brexit farming scheme, pays farmers to take actions that improve the environment alongside food production.
To date, the government has received over 15,000 applications and issued over 14,000 agreement offers.
More information regarding the timing of the implementation of the cap will be released in the coming weeks, Defra said.
What is the full list?
The full list of actions to be capped at 25% include:
• IPM2: Flower-rich grass margins, blocks, or in-field strips
• AHL1: Pollen and nectar flower mix (which should be growing in blocks or strips in a land parcel)
• AHL2: Winter bird food on arable and horticultural land (which should be growing in blocks or strips in a land parcel)
• AHL3: Grassy field corners or blocks
• IGL1: Take improved grassland field corners or blocks out of management
• IGL2: Winter bird food on improved grassland (which should be growing in blocks or strips in a land parcel)
