The Department for Environment, Food & Rural Affairs (Defra) has confirmed that around 50% of the Sustainable Farming Incentive (SFI26) Window 1 budget has now been allocated, reflecting strong demand from eligible applicants just days after the scheme opened.
Window 1, which opened on 30 June 2026, is available to eligible smaller farm businesses and those without an existing Environmental Land Management (ELM) revenue agreement. A total of £60 million has been allocated to this first application window as part of the wider £240 million SFI26 budget announced for this year.
Defra is encouraging eligible farmers who have not yet applied to do so as soon as possible via the Rural Payments service: https://www.ruralpayments.service.gov.uk/.