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

To ask His Majesty's Government how they assess and determine the financial surplus required to induce farmers to participate in schemes under the Sustainable Farming Incentive.

The SFI standards payment rates have been set to balance good value for money for the taxpayer and delivery of ambitious environmental outcomes.

Defra sets payment rates based on the net income the farmer would forgo on their land and the net costs of delivering the action for the average (median) farm eligible for the action, which is the methodology used in our environmental schemes such as Countryside Stewardship. These rates are independently verified by evidence from specialist consultancies.