U.K., Oct. 1 -- UK Parliament issued the following news:

The Environment, Food and Rural Affairs (EFRA) Committee is inviting farmers in England to share their experiences of applying for the Sustainable Farming Incentive (SFI).

Take part in the survey

The SFI had a budget of £233m for this application window, designed to pay farmers and land managers to undertake activities that will protect and benefit the environment, support food production and improve productivity.

Defra explained that the window for applications would be open until the whole budget had been allocated. This occurred less than six hours after the window opened.

In a new survey, the EFRA Committee (which is responsible for scrutinising Defra) is seeking the experiences both of those who were successful and unsuccessful in submitting an application before the window closed.

You can find the survey here .

Chair comment

Chair of the Efra Committee, Alistair Carmichael MP, said:

“At a time when DEFRA needed to build a better level of trust with farmers, the last thing they needed was a day like last Tuesday. So many farmers were disappointed by the SFI application process and have been left in a place where planning their business is more difficult than ever.

“We have already heard commitments from the Secretary of State and others to listen and to learn. This is where there is a role for the select committee to play. We want to hear from as many farmers and land agents as possible about what their experiences were on the day and since then. We especially want to hear from those who lost out about what this will mean for how they farm the land without the assistance that they might have received from the SFI. That real life experience will shape the questions that we are able to put to ministers and officials as we question them in the weeks and months to come. I know that this is a busy time of year for many farmers, so we have kept the survey as short and straightforward as possible. I hope that this will allow a wide range of responses.”

Further information

About Parliament: Select committees

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