Thousands of environmental projects are on the brink as nearly 6,000 farm stewardship agreements run out at the end of the year, the NFU has warned.
An FOI request to Defra revealed that 5,820 Countryside Stewardship (CS) agreements will come to an end in December, leaving participants with no clear pathway forward.
With the new Sustainable Farming Incentive (SFI) still not fully available, and the CS higher-tier scheme restricted to a small number of farmers invited for pre-application, many fear being forced to abandon environmental projects that have underpinned biodiversity for decades.
David Exwood, the NFU's deputy president, said farmers had played a leading role in delivering environmental benefits for decades.
"Through these agreements, farmers have done everything from creating wildflower corridors for pollinators and growing feed for farmland birds to nurturing species-rich grassland, all of which contribute to the government’s environmental targets.”
However, Mr Exwood warned that with no clarity from Defra on the next stage of schemes, many businesses now faced tough choices.
Farmers could either carry on with environmental measures without financial backing, risking losses, or return land to food production.
He added: “Certainty is a vital ingredient in farming and right now, that is missing altogether.”
The NFU is urging Defra to set out a clear path forward before agreements expire on 31 December.
It says existing Countryside Stewardship mid-tier agreements should be allowed to roll over for one year, preventing an immediate loss of environmental delivery while giving Defra time to design a longer-term strategy.
The union is also calling for the rapid rollout of the new SFI scheme so that farmers can enter fresh agreements without losing the financial means to continue their environmental work.
Mr Exwood confirmed that the NFU had already raised the matter directly with government ministers: “I’ve written to the Farming Minister to highlight our concerns and asked Defra to set out a clear way forward.
"This is an opportunity for Defra to show it values farmers not just for producing food, but for the environmental benefits they deliver on behalf of the nation.”
He stressed that farmers must be able to continue vital environmental work while maintaining profitable, resilient businesses.
“To ensure farmers can continue to undertake these vital environmental projects as part of profitable, resilient businesses – an ambition we share with the government – Defra must provide a clear plan for their future, and urgently.
"Any further delay risks undoing decades worth of positive environmental action.”
