PRESS RELEASE : First Sustainable Farming Incentive agreements live for 2024 [August 2024]

The press release issued by the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs on 5 August 2024.

The first Sustainable Farming Incentive agreements for 2024 are now live as the government starts to deliver on its commitment to restore stability for the farming sector by continuing the controlled rollout of the scheme.

Farming Minister Daniel Zeichner said:

This Government recognises that food security is national security. We said we would provide stability for farmers and we are delivering on this commitment by confirming that the first Sustainable Farming Incentive agreements are now live.

This is the first step to increase farmer confidence, as part of our new deal for farmers, to boost Britain’s food security, restore nature and support rural economic growth. We will optimise Environmental Land Management schemes so they produce the right outcomes for all farmers – including those who have been too often ignored such as small, grassland, upland and tenanted farms.

We will protect farmers from being undercut in trade deals, make the supply chain work more fairly, prevent shock rises in bills by switching on GB Energy and use the government’s purchasing power to back British produce.

New guidance and updates to the Find funding for land or farms tool will be fully available by the end of the day (Monday 5 August).