Question to the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs:

To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, what steps her Department is taking to introduce an offline application process for the Sustainable Farming Incentive and the Countryside Stewardship Higher Tier Scheme.

The Rural Payments Agency recognises the importance of ensuring that farmers and land managers can access environmental land management schemes.

Applications for the Sustainable Farming Incentive and Countryside Stewardship Higher Tier are made through the digital rural payments service. This remains the quickest route to apply and access funding, as upfront checks help to support efficient processing and confirm eligibility and land information.

The Agency offers an assisted digital route for applicants who find it difficult to use digital services, providing additional support to help them access schemes. They also recognise system limitations affecting common land applications and are actively engaging with the sector to develop routes for common land applicants to apply.