SFI26: 50% of Window 2 budget now allocated

Credit: Sue Rowlands

As part of our commitment to keep you informed about the progress of the Sustainable Farming Incentive 2026 (SFI26), we said we would publish updates as funding is allocated.

We can confirm that 50% of the £233 million budget for Window 2 has now been allocated.

We will continue to monitor demand closely and intend to publish further updates when approximately 75% of the £233 million Window 2 budget has been allocated.

Please subscribe to the Farming Blog to receive an email notification when we provide further updates on budget allocation.

If the system prevents you from applying for a combination SFI actions which you should be able to apply for on the same available area within a land parcel, you need to:

email us at ruralpayments@defra.gov.uk as soon as possible – use ‘SFI26’ in the subject heading and include your Single Business Identifier (SBI) attach clear screen shots of what you’re seeing to your email explain what steps you took before you were prevented from applying

We will then contact you.

Apply now

Window 2 is open to farmers and land managers who, at the point they start an application: 

are registered with the Rural Payments Agency (RPA) so they have a SBI have at least 3ha of eligible agricultural land linked to that SBI

This includes those with existing ELM revenue agreements that expire by the end of February 2027.

You can find the full eligibility criteria for Window 2 in the SFI26 scheme rules and guidance on GOV.UK. 

Farmers and land managers who were eligible in Window 1 but didn’t submit an application can also apply in Window 2.

Read section 7 ‘Get ready to apply’ in the SFI26 scheme rules and guidance for more information.

Processing times

The RPA continues to process applications as quickly and efficiently as possible.

Applications are processed in the order in which they were submitted. Some applications require additional checks and can therefore take longer to assess.

Applications are progressing well overall. We will provide an update on when successful applicants can expect to receive their agreement offer in due course.

https://defrafarming.blog.gov.uk/2026/09/22/sfi26-50-of-window-2-budget-now-allocated/

seen at 14:36, 22 September in Farming.