LONDON, Jan. 7 -- The government of the United Kingdom issued the following news:
Our farmers areessentialforthenation'sfoodsecurity, the Environment Secretary will say,setting outanew era ofpartnership between government and farmers aimed atboosting profitability.
Speaking at the Oxford Farming Conference on Thursday 8 January, Environment Secretary Emma Reynolds will announce a package of measures to ensure the government works inpartnershipwith farmers to drive growth, secure a thriving future for the sector, and deliver high quality, affordable food for Britishfamilies.
She will announce reforms to the Sustainable Farming Incentive (SFI), designed tosimplify the scheme, level the playing field, and provide stable, predictable delivery.
She will set out how there will be two application windows in 2026, with the first from June prioritising smaller farms and those without an existing agreement, followed by a second round from September for widerapplications.
Thegovernment will continue working with the sector to refine these proposals and full scheme details will be published before the first application window opens.
The Environment Secretary will also outline a new £30 million Farmer Collaboration Fund to support farmer groups in growing their businesses, building partnerships and sharing best practice. This will empower them to find new opportunities to grow their businesses, share what works, build partnerships, and drive the kind of change that comes from the ground up.
Environment Secretary Emma Reynolds is expected to say:
Farmers are at the heart of our national life - for what you produce, the communities you sustain, and the landscapes and heritage you protect.
British farming isalsoa key growth sectorwe'rebacking for the long term.Farmers who want to build,toexport and to invest innew technology.
Buttoo often,they'vebeen held back by bureaucracy.We'rechanging thattoa system thatbacksour farmers.
The Secretary of State also set her vision to work in partnership with farmers:
We will work with you- throughour new Farming and Food Partnership Board, through peer-to-peer networks, through community-led change, and through engagement on the detailed changes to SFI.
Youwill have the certainty you need to plan- clearbudgets,clear timelines,clear future roadmap, andgrowth builton strongfoundations.
That's my commitment to youand it's the foundation for the future we're building together, to drive growth, secure a thriving future for the sector, and deliver high quality, affordable food for British families.
TheEnvironment Secretary will alsoset outplans exploring a transformation of England's uplands, recognising the unique challenges facing the rural communities that depend on them, from poor access to services to harsh farming conditions.
Building on research led by social entrepreneur Dr Hilary Cottam in six upland areas during the past year, the government willworkover the next twoyears-firstin Dartmoor, then Cumbria-todeliversystem-wide change, create farming clusters, explore new mutual funding models, and lay the foundations for new income streams, from nature-based enterprises to regenerative tourism and circular economy initiatives.
In anadditionalboost for farmers in England's most treasured rural areas, the government will extend the Farming in Protected Landscapes programme for three years, with £30 million in funding next year alone.
Since its launch, the programme has supported more than 11,000 farmers across 44 protected landscapes in enhancing nature recovery, tackling climate change, and preserving cultural heritage,including the planting of 362km of new hedgerows, equivalent to the distance of Oxford to Newcastle.
These measures build on thelaunch of the Farming and Food Partnership Board, bringing together senior leaders from farming, food, retail,financeand government to take a joined-up, farm-to-fork approach to improving profitability.
Alongside Baroness Minette Batters' Farming Profitability Review,these new partnershipswillhelpinformthe government's forthcoming 25-year Farming Roadmap,to be publishedlater thisyearandsettingouta clear, long-term visionforfood production, environmental ambition, land use,and farm profitability.
Disclaimer: Curated by HT Syndication.
