A revamped version of the Sustainable Farming Incentive will open for applications within the first six months of 2026, the government has suggested. Defra secretary Emma Reynolds said the government was working hard to revise the scheme, which was closed to applications from farmers after all the budget was... Read more

Farmers still awaiting details of Countryside Stewardship mid-tier extensions are being urged to contact the Rural Payments agency sooner rather than later. More than 5000 farmers with Countryside Stewardship mid-tier agreements due to expire at the end of December are being offered one-year extensions to maintain environmental and food-production... Read more

The NFU is calling on the government to renew its relationship with farmers and growers ahead of this month’s Budget. NFU president Tom Bradshaw has urged Chancellor Rachel Reeves to introduce measures that will ignite investment and growth in the industry, saying rock-bottom confidence has left farm investment as... Read more

Food and farming leaders have urged the government to work with the industry and deliver growth across the sector. It comes after the NFU convened a Food Resilience Roundtable – attended farm minister Angela Eagle – alongside food retailers, processors and farm businesses. Roundtable participants highlighted the need for... Read more

Plans to reduce water abstraction for irrigation in east Suffolk could be made workable by making it easier to invest in reservoirs and infrastructure, says a report. A planned 30% reduction in water for irrigation over the next 20 years would translate directly into lost output across the local... Read more

Tory leader Kemi Badenoch had a go harvesting wheat when she visited Essex farmer Sam Doddard at Hall Farm, Little Walden. The MP for North West Essex said the Conservatives would reverse government plans to impose inheritance tax on farmers “at the earliest opportunity” – although she acknowledged that... Read more

Police seized and crushed a Land Rover Discovery used in a farm burglary – following a successful collaboration between the NFU and Hertfordshire constabulary. Information from local farmers helped police track down the vehicle after it was driving to a farm near Bishop’s Stortford, where the would-be thieves tried... Read more

Tributes are being paid to Norfolk farmer and veteran journalist David Richardson, who died age 87 last month after a short illness. Initially recruited by farmer and Anglia TV presenter Dick Joice for a series on rural affairs in 1960, Mr Richardson became one of the most influential voices... Read more

Plea for flexibility from government Lessons must be learned from the summer drought – including changes to agri-environment schemes, say farm leaders. The NFU wants Defra to ensure that the next round of the Sustainable Farming Incentive supports farmers’ resilience in the face of a changing climate. It comes... Read more

MPs saw food production and outstanding environmental success being achieved in harmony when they visited a Suffolk arable farm. Rushcliffe MP James Naish, Cannock Chase MP Josh Newbury and Ribble MP Valley Maya Ellis visited Lodge Farm at Westhorpe, near Stowmarket, as part of the NFU Food and Farming... Read more