A long-awaited update on the Sustainable Farming Incentive (SFI) now "desperately" needs to include backing for organic as green groups sign an open letter calling for 10% of farmland to go organic, according to the Soil Association.

Environment Secretary Emma Reynolds has today (Wednesday 7 January) announced June and September dates for the reopening of the SFI, ahead of her speech at the Oxford Farming Conference tomorrow.

Replacing the Basic Payment Scheme (BPS), which provided subsidies to farmers before Brexit, the SFI provides financial rewards for farmers in England for sustainable practices.

It was paused abruptly in March last year, removing government support for organic farmers, which had previously been provided in recognition of the environmental benefits that organic delivers as a whole-farm approach to nature-friendly farming. 

The freeze on SFI also removed support for those going through the two-year organic conversion period – a time when farmers must adhere to the strict standards but cannot market their products as organic.

The announcement from Defra today does not yet include organic and comes on the same day that 18 environment and farming groups signed a Soil Association open letter calling for government to back the sector.

The letter, signed by Wildlife and Countryside Link, Nature Friendly Farming Network, RSPB, The Wildlife Trusts, River Action and others, calls for a 10% organic farmland target in England, backed by an Organic Action Plan.

Soil Association Policy Director Brendan Costelloe said: "It's good to finally get confirmation that the Sustainable Farming Incentive will reopen after an uncertain wait for farmers over the last year. But we are concerned that there remains a long wait for many farmers when we need all farms, big and small, to be adopting nature friendly practices right now.

"We also desperately need the government to provide reassurance that they will back organic in both SFI windows. With 30% more biodiversity on organic farms, the UK's declining wildlife cannot afford more uncertainty. The government needs more of this type of farming if it is going to meet its climate and nature goals. More and more people are buying organic and it is madness to offshore the environmental and economic benefits by meeting this demand with imports. 

"The government urgently needs to provide clarity for organic within the SFI, and listen to all of the groups signing our open letter calling an Organic Action Plan for England with a target for 10% of farmland to go organic."
 

The open letter points out that the previous Labour government's Organic Action Plan from 2002 led to a peak in organic farmland in England in 2008. But since then, it has decreased by around a third while organic farmland in the UK remains stuck at 3%.

At the same time, the UK organic market has more than doubled, with recent figures indicating growth of 7.3% in 2024 to £3.7 billion, meaning the UK is heavily reliant on organic imports.

Wildlife and Countryside Link CEO Richard Benwell said: "A wildlife-friendly farming boom is the only way to save nature in England. That can only happen when whole farms ditch chemicals and prioritise habitats and species. Currently organic is the only whole-farm system in town, and it's increasingly popular with health- and nature-conscious consumers. But somehow we're letting that demand be met by imports. The government should speed forward with an Organic Action Plan as a top priority in its Farming Roadmap."

In response to today's announcement from Defra, the Soil Association also calls for:
 

• Continued investment in farm collaboration schemes and protected landscapes as set out in today's welcome announcement. However, the Soil Association urges government to focus on heavily nature depleted lowland areas and back organic as a solution that can restore nature without taking land out of production.
• Earlier windows for SFI applications, while still ensuring small farms and those without an existing agreement are prioritised, to enable all farms to swiftly put nature-friendly farming plans into action.