England's £233m sustainable farming incentive (SFI) scheme, which provides farmers with government payments to manage land environmentally, ran out of funding in less than six hours after opening on Tuesday morning, leaving thousands of applicants unable to secure agreements. The rapid exhaustion of the budget prompted widespread criticism from farming unions, environmental groups and charities, who called for the government to increase funding and reform the application process, highlighting the urgent need for consistent support as farmers face climate pressures and financial strain.

The scheme opened at 10:00 BST and closed by 15:48 BST, replacing EU subsidies with payments for activities such as planting hedges, creating wildflower margins and soil protection. Demand was exceptionally high because the scheme had been abruptly shut without warning the previous year, creating pent-up demand from farmers seeking certainty for the year ahead. The government allocated an additional £20m to the £50m originally announced, but this proved insufficient. The National Farmers' Union and Nature Friendly Farming Network criticised the situation as unfit for purpose, whilst Defra said it would announce further funding opportunities for 2027.