Farmers in East Yorkshire have been left without vital support after a £233 million Government farming scheme opened and closed in less than six hours.
The second application window for the Sustainable Farming Incentive 2026 opened at 10am on Tuesday 22 September. By 3.48pm, the entire £233 million budget had been allocated and the window closed.
One local farmer had planned to complete his own application, but spent the day spraying his fields in preparation for sowing winter crops ahead of forecast bad weather.
By the time he finished work and was able to apply that evening, the scheme had already closed.
He said:
“I was out spraying in preparation for sowing winter crops because we had bad weather forecast and the job needed doing. I had every intention of applying when I got back that evening, but by then the scheme had already closed.
“Farmers can’t just stop work at a moment’s notice and spend the day sitting at a computer. We have crops to grow and jobs that have to be done when the weather allows.
“I was ready to apply. I just never imagined I would have less than six hours to do it.”
Another constituent, who helps farmers with SFI applications, spent the day racing to submit applications before the money ran out.
Despite working on applications throughout the day, not all could be completed. After putting other farmers first, the constituent was unable to submit an application for their own farm.
They have also warned that the consequences will spread beyond the farms which missed out, affecting those who help farmers apply and potentially holding back investment in farms, machinery and local suppliers.
They said:
“The distribution of this money should not be based on how quickly you can complete a form and press submit.
“There are already negative business impacts for those who were unable to submit all their applications. This will bite far deeper than farmers missing out. It will affect investment in farms, local machinery dealers and farm suppliers.
“The fairest solution would be to repair the application system, make it fit for purpose and reopen it early next year.”
Graham has written directly to the Environment Secretary calling for farmers who were ready to apply, but missed out because the scheme closed so quickly, to be given a fair chance.
He has also submitted four Written Parliamentary Questions asking how many applications were started but not completed before the window closed, whether the Government expected the £233 million budget to run out on the first day and what it will do for farmers who missed out.
Graham has also joined Conservative MPs in a letter to the Environment Secretary calling for urgent action over SFI26.
The MPs are asking the Government to review applications which could not be submitted because of technical or administrative problems, support farmers whose existing agreements are coming to an end and ensure future SFI schemes do not use the same first-come, first-served system.
They have also asked the Environment Secretary to come to the House of Commons when Parliament returns to answer MPs about the problems experienced by farmers.
Graham is asking people across rural East Yorkshire to take part in his Rural Survey and tell him about the pressures facing farming and rural communities.
Graham said:
“Farmers should be out farming, not sitting at a computer waiting for a Government website.
“One local farmer was spraying his fields before the weather turned. By the time he finished, the scheme had opened, £233 million had been allocated and it had closed.
“Another constituent spent the day trying to get applications through for other farmers and, after putting them first, missed out too.
“This is exactly why I’m running my Rural Survey. Too often, decisions made in Westminster simply don’t reflect the reality of living and working in the countryside.
“I want our farmers producing food, investing in their farms and supporting the rural communities around them. Defra should be making that easier, not designing schemes that expect farmers to drop everything and race to a computer.
“Less than six hours is not a fair chance to apply. I’ve written to the Environment Secretary, submitted questions in Parliament and joined other MPs calling for action.
“I want farmers who missed out to be given a fair chance, and I want the Government to make sure this cannot happen again.
“If you live in a rural community, please take my Rural Survey and tell me what needs to change.”
People can take Graham’s Rural Survey at grahamstuart.com/RuralSurvey2026.
