Farming in Five: Defra under scrutiny over its decision to close SFI, with questions around why farmers were given little notice, and its transparency over the budget. But who will be the winners and losers?

In today's Farming in Five, chief reporter Rachael Brown reports on the latest from the fallout of the Sustainable Farming Incentive closure. Defra is under scrutiny over its failure to give farmers' notice as the industry questions whether all the budget has been spent. She also looks ahead to next week, a special podcast on Donald Trump, tariffs and what this means for machinery markets and UK farming going forward and the livestock team are heading to Borderway UK Dairy Expo at Carlisle this week, the first dairy show of the year

Rachael Brown

14 March 2025 • 1 min read

READ LATEST NEWS STORIES:

Everything you need to know about the closure of SFI 24

National Trust says Defra SFI decision will leave farmers facing a four-month funding gap

NFU survey reveals farmer confidence hits all-time low

It was not possible to give any further warning on SFI24 closure, says Farming Minister

"Defra must be upfront about the figures" - George Dunn, Tenant Farmers Association

Farmers brand Defra's update to stop SFI24 an 'absolute shambles'

Defra stops accepting new applications for SFI 24

TAKE PART IN OUR SURVEY: How are farmers feeling post budget compared to before?

Farming in Five: Chancellor accused of using Ministers as 'human shields' over IHT, Farmers take fate into their own hands by abandoning SFI, AHDB shares Farm Assurance Review response and next stage of Johne's disease plan is revealed

In today's Farming in Five, chief reporter Rachael Brown reports on the top stories from this week, including the Chancellor being accused of using Ministers as 'human shields' over Inheritance Tax changes, farmers take fate into their own hands by abandoning their SFI applications early despite waiting for offers to be made by the Government, APHA appoints former police chief as new chief executive, and Baroness Minette Batters asked to lead a review into farm profitability. Next week the latest on Donald Trump's trade tariffs and the impact on agriculture, new details revealed for the next stage of Johne's disease plan, and a petition to get farming on the curriculum aims to get 100k signatures

Rachael Brown

11 April 2025 • 1 min read

Farming in Five

April 10: APHA appoint former police chief as new boss, wildfires warnings issued across the UK, and young farmers to vote on impacts of Inheritance Tax changes

In today's Farming in Five, chief reporter Rachael Brown reports on the appointment of APHA's new chief executive, former chief constable of Dyfed-Powys and Cleveland Police, Richard Lewis. She also reports on the latest wildfire warnings from across the UK, with 146 blazes reported in Northern Ireland since last Thursday. And young farmers vote on the impact of Chancellor Rachel Reeves' Inheritance Tax changes on the next generation of farmers

Rachael Brown

10 April 2025 • 1 min read

Farming in Five

April 9: Chancellor called out on not meeting farmer groups, Arla announces merger and MPs under fire for backing US trade deal

In today's Farming in Five, head of news and business Alex Black discusses Efra Committee chair Alastair Carmichael calling out the Chancellor over her refusal to meet with farming groups on Inheritance Tax Reform, Reform UK MPs are under fire for their backing of the inclusion of chlorinated chicken in a US trade deal and the UK dairy sector is set to adapt to trade tariffs imposed by Donald Trump.