Environment Secretary to announce £345 million to fund innovation, new technology and infrastructure to boost farm productivity and support the conditions for more affordable food over time
British farming is to be supercharged with £345 million in funding to boost everyday productivity alongside cutting-edge technologies to drive future growth, Environment Secretary Emma Reynolds will announce today (Tuesday 24 February).
She will set out how the government is 'taking action to back farmers' in her address to the National Farmers' Union Conference, underlining a focus on partnership and listening to what farmers need.
Building on the package announced at the Oxford Farming Conference in January, the Environment Secretary will outline how the government is responding to farmers' calls for partnership, clarity and long-term stability after extensive engagement with the sector.
Environment Secretary Emma Reynolds is expected to say:
I am determined to give British farming the foundation it needs to grow.
We want farm businesses that are productive, profitable, and resilient.
We want to see more British food on more tables - here at home and around the world.
And we want a countryside that is thriving - for wildlife, for communities, and for the families who have worked this land for generations.
The new Sustainable Farming Incentive offer will be simpler, fairer, more stable, and shaped by farmers. It will include 71 actions, down from 102, with agreements capped at £100,000 per year. With around 97% of farms already below this level, the cap will help ensure funding is shared more fairly and reaches more small and medium sized farms. Applications will open in June for small farms and those without a live Environmental Land Management (ELM) revenue agreement, with small farms defined as holdings of three to 50 hectares registered with the Rural Payments Agency (as of 1 January 2026).
A second application window will open to all farmers in September, with
