The final straw? Farmers face further blow as 1bn sustainable subsidy cut

Charles Goadby never wanted to rely on a penny in subsidies for his farm set within the green and pleasant lands of the north Warwickshire countryside.

- ALEX ROSS

As a proud dairy farmer, the 47-year-old father-of-two wanted to focus “every square inch” of his 1,400 acres on food and milk production, and once believed post-Brexit environmental subsidies threatened to turn many farmers into “subsidy junkies”.

But a significant squeeze on margins and the wish to bring in cash for a robotic milking system led to a redress of the situation – and yesterday, he met with a farming expert to discuss an application for the government’s sustainable farming incentive (SFI).

Providing winter bird feed and creation of grass margins along watercourses could warrant £10,000 a year, Mr Goady estimated, and give access to capital funding for the wanted farming equipment.

But last week, Labour announced that SFI, which was launched in 2022, was now fully subscribed and closed to new applications with immediate effect. Under £1bn worth of deals already agreed, farmers are paid for managing land to protect soil, restore hedgerows and boost nature recovery.

“I was gobsmacked,” said Mr Goadby, who said he now makes just £50 a week from his farming business already “propped up” by the conversion of industrial units. He said he now lives off his wife’s primary school teacher salary.

“It will impact us hugely, you take away the SFI, you take away another income while we try desperately to survive. You don’t make a penny from farming anymore, it’s unsustainable and so we now need the support. This is devastating.”