Spending Review 2025: a commitment to farming 

Posted by: , Posted on: - Categories: Farming across the UK
Steve Reed, Environment Secretary, stands outdoors at a livestock show talking with two men. He is in the centre, wearing a brown jacket and light blue shirt, listening. On his left, an older man in a dark coat and black bowler hat gestures while speaking. On his right, a suited man with a red and blue striped tie looks down thoughtfully. Cattle and people are visible in the background.

Following the Spending Review, Defra has secured a multi-year funding commitment from HM Treasury. More than £2.7 billion a year will be invested in sustainable farming and nature recovery from 2026 to 2029. Funding for the Environmental Land Management Schemes paid to farmers will increase by 150% over this time period.

Spotlight on new actions: agroforestry and improvements to our trees and woodland offer

Posted by: , Posted on: - Categories: Payments to plant trees and manage woodland, Sustainable Farming Incentive
Sheep grazing among young trees

The Agricultural Transition Plan update includes the full range of new and updated Sustainable Farming Incentive (SFI) actions and the payment rates available in 2024. In this post, we focus on the new agroforestry actions and include improvements to the Countryside Stewardship (CS) offer for trees and woodlands.

Woodland creation: supporting your business and the environment

Posted by: , Posted on: - Categories: Payments to plant trees and manage woodland
Two people talk in a countryside setting with tree in the background.

If you are a farmer or landowner in England, you can apply for woodland creation grants to support tree planting projects of all shapes and sizes. In this post, we’ll explain how planting the right trees in the right place can diversify your business, boost income, support food production, and enhance the environment. We’ll also share links for you to find out about the grants on offer.  

How we're supporting hedgerows

Last month, members of the team gathered at Hockey’s Farm in Hampshire situated on the edge of the New Forest. Together, we planted 1,500 small trees to establish a new native hedgerow across pastural farmland. In this post, I'll share more about the day and some of the ways through which we're supporting hedgerows in our schemes.