Group writes to Defra minister to call for the reopening of SFI and urge that farmers be given a basic income
An open letter to the Defra food security minister Daniel Zeichner has called on the government to reverse its cap on Sustainable Farming Incentive (SFI) applications and explore a basic income for all agricultural workers.
Basic Income for Farmers (BI4Farmers), a campaign advocating for economic stability in the farming sector, has written to the minister following the government’s decision to cap and pause new SFI applications.
The letter, co-signed by farmers from around England, as well as Green Party and Labour MPs, and published in today’s Times newspaper, highlights the financial uncertainty now facing farmers, farmworkers, and food producers in the country, many of whom had already incorporated expected SFI payments into their financial planning.
BI4Farmers and co-signatories argue that the move to limit SFI applications undermines confidence in post-Brexit subsidy schemes, particularly for small-scale and agroecological farmers who were finally gaining access to crucial financial support.
The letter calls for an immediate expansion of the SFI budget to allow more farmers to access support, a reopening of applications to prevent further financial insecurity in the sector, and the exploration of a basic income for all agricultural workers, ensuring long-term stability for those who produce the nation’s food.
BI4Farmers has requested a meeting with Zeichner to discuss solutions, including the viability of a basic income for farmers, as part of a fairer and more sustainable agricultural support system.
Previous research from BI4Farmers and the Autonomy Institute points to an urgent need for guaranteed financial support in farming, the groups say, with current agricultural subsidies failing to provide the stability required for a resilient and sustainable food system. A basic income for farmers would ensure that those who feed the UK are not left in economic limbo due to sudden policy changes, they add.
Joanna Poulton, campaign lead at BI4Farmers, said: “Farmers were promised that post-Brexit subsidy schemes would provide financial security. Instead, we’ve seen a pattern of uncertainty and exclusion. The government must act now to restore trust and ensure a just and sustainable future for UK farming through a basic income scheme.”
Jonathan Smith, an organic farmer on the Isles of Scilly, added: “Farmers need a basic income to survive. In my 22 years of experience it is really hard to make a profit with vegetables. Historically there has been very little support from the state and many of us farmers have to have two or more other jobs just to provide enough income for ourselves and our families.
“We were finally going to get some support from the SFI payments and now that has been pulled. It shouldn’t be that hard, we should have a basic income so we can afford to live.”
