Defra has announced £240m for new agreements under the revamped Sustainable Farming Incentive 2026 (SFI26) and £50m for the Countryside Stewardship Higher Tier (CSHT) scheme.

Both are part of the government's post-Brexit Environmental Land Management schemes (ELMs), which reward farmers for actions to improve biodiversity, waterways, landscapes, habitats and soil health.

While the new funding provides "welcome certainty" for farmers, the National Farmers' Union (NFU) says it is insufficient to meet the sector’s ambitions to deliver environmental benefits.

Robyn Munt, vice-president of the NFU, said: "Today’s budgets for key agri-environment schemes provide welcome certainty for farmers and growers, giving them a clearer basis to plan........

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