Farming Practices: Sustainable Farming Incentive

Lord Blencathra Excerpts

Monday 13th July 2026 Lords Chamber

[Baroness Hayman of Ullock (Lab)]

We are looking at the uptake of the current round of SFI, which has been very encouraging. We recently said that 50% of the SFI budget has been allocated, and we will be reviewing that. It is also important to look at the changes that this is encouraging, because much of it was designed to make the biggest difference. We work very closely with farmers who do regenerative farming, such as Martin Lines. It is important that we target what we see as making the biggest difference the quickest.

[Lord Blencathra (Con)]

My Lords, the introduction of sustainable farming incentives under ELMS remains something we on these Benches are particularly proud of. They were intended to be part of a transitional scheme preparing farmers for greater private finance involvement in restoring nature through sustainable farming practices. The 25-year farming road map contained aspirations on this but very little detail, so could the Minister give us some real-world evidence of private sector finance creating incentives for sustainable farming?

[Baroness Hayman of Ullock (Lab)]

It is important to assure noble Lords that, just because something is not specifically in the farming road map, that does not mean that it will not be part of this long-term plan. The whole point of the farming road map is that it is not specific and dialled-down—it is a 25-year look ahead. On the basis that it is a long look ahead, you would not expect all the detail and information to be in it, because that will be developed as we move forward, and things will change a lot over 25 years.