After the latest £233 million of Sustainable Farming Incentive (SFI26) 2026 funding was fully allocated within six hours on 22 September, Markus Campbell-Savours MP for Penrith and Solway said: “Let’s be clear, we’ve moved from a position under the last Government where they set a budget and couldn’t get it out the door because it wasn’t fit for purpose, to a position where the demands from farmers far exceed what the budget was able to deliver.
“Of course, this government needs to look at the application process to make sure it is fair and the budget is sufficient to give financial support to those who need it.
“But the issues last week really highlight what Cumbrian farmers tell me every week, the sector is struggling and the money available through SFI has become a way to relieve these pressures.
“It is time we pulled the stops out. As a starter for ten, the Government must deliver on its farm profitability plans, reconsider the fertiliser tax but also deliver one final u-turn and scrap its plans to abolish agricultural property relief.
“Although many of my farmers tell me the earlier u-turns made a substantial difference, others are still deeply worried about the impact this policy will have when passing a sustainable farm business to the next generation, especially those farms who have shown me expensive farming equipment vital to their work which quickly takes them over the tax threshold.”