England's organic farming sector is "holding its breath" as it awaits a long overdue government announcement around reinstatement of support. The government is expected to announce details around the revised Sustainable Farming Incentive (SFI) scheme during a speech at the NFU conference on Tuesday 24 February. The scheme is set to reopen this summer after its abrupt closure in March last year.
Since that closure, the government has not yet renewed its commitment to supporting organic farming in recognition of the environmental benefits it delivers. This is in stark contrast to Wales, Scotland and the EU where the sector has support, with Scotland launching an Organic Action Plan last month to help meet its goal to double organic farmland. The EU has also committed to achieving at least 25 per cent organic farmland by 2030.
Meanwhile, organic land in England has remained largely static at around 3% for a decade, despite demand "booming" and the market worth £3.7bn after 13 years of consecutive growth.
Prior to March 2025's shock closure of the SFI to new entrants, the government had for decades provided support for farmers during the two-year conversion period to organic, and after that for ongoing management of land adhering to the strict environmental standards required. This helped farmers during the conversion period, in which they cannot sell their products with the organic logo and often need to take land out of production while it adapts to the changes.
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