A future for farming incentives

Britain is one of the world's most nature-depleted countries. So why has Labour closed the Sustainable Farming Incentive, a scheme to reward farmers for protecting the natural environment?

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The State of Nature 2023 report commissioned by DEFRA reveals that Britain is one of the most nature-depleted countries on the planet. Much of the blame is placed on the intensification of farming since the Second World War. The Sustainable Farming Incentive (SFI) is a Government scheme that financially rewards farmers in England for adopting environmentally sustainable practices, such as protecting soil, rivers and woodlands. It raised hopes that this could reverse the trend of habitat loss and biodiversity decline. These hopes were dealt a blow when, on 11 March 2025 with little warning, the SFI was closed to new applicants.