edbeckett

This morning I spoke with Calum McDonald, aide to Angela Eagle, to raise two urgent issues now bearing down on British farming: the spiralling cost of essential inputs linked to instability around Iran, and the need for the British Farming Union to have a seat on the Farming and Food Partnership Board. The message was clear. Farming is being hit by a fresh wave of cost pressures at a time when confidence is already fragile, margins are tight, and many sectors are struggling to see a viable...

Purpose and direction • The Sustainable Farming Incentive remains focused on paying farmers to deliver environmental outcomes alongside food production. • The 2026 offer is designed to be simpler, broader-access and more evenly funded across farms. • Developed through stakeholder workshops and consultation across 2025–26. • Intended to provide a stable framework for the rest of the Parliament , with refinements possible. Scale and structure • 71 actions in SFI26 (down from 102 in SFI24; 31...

The Environment Agency have recently launched a new video to shed more light on what happens during one of their farm inspections. Receiving an inspection letter from the Environment Agency can trigger worry and concern; this video is aimed at dispelling some of the myths around an inspection – it shows three farms going through the process of an inspection and includes feedback from the farmers and commentary from the Environment Agency’s officers on how they approach their work. If you’ve...