Defra (the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs) has confirmed that farmers who started but did not submit an application for the Sustainable Farming Incentive (SFI) 2024 between 12 January and 11 March 2025 will be given a six-week window to complete and submit their application.

This follows a reversal of the government's earlier decision to close the scheme without notice, in a move that left many farmers with incomplete applications and no way to finish them.

The Minister for Food Security and Rural Affairs, Daniel Zeichner MP, admitted that an "error was made" when the current scheme was closed to new applications and apologised "for the confusion it caused".

"I am addressing the situation and have remade the decision to close the SFI 2024 scheme to new applications, without notice, on 11 March 2025.... 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 12 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."

You can read his full statement on the Sustainable Farming Incentive 2024 update here.

Defra will contact eligible applicants directly to let them know when this window will open. Applications submitted during this period will be subject to the following conditions:

• Only one application per farm business is allowed.
• Agreements will be capped at £9,300 per year (excluding the SFI management payment). This reflects the median value of existing SFI 2024 agreements.
• No additional land can be added to ‘rotational’ SFI actions after Year 1 of the agreement.

These conditions have been introduced by the government as part of its revised position, following concerns over fairness, clarity and budget limits.

If you began an SFI 2024 application and would like support to complete it, please contact Chris Muir or Lizzy Elgie (chris.muir@stephenson.co.uk or lizzy.elgie@stephenson.co.uk)