SFI Update & Animal Health and Welfare Pathway Increasing Payments

Sustainable Farming Incentive Update

Defra secretary Emma Reynolds has promised that applications for the ‘reformed’ Sustainable Farming Incentive (SFI) will open in June 26.

According to Defra, the new-look Sustainable Farming Incentive (SFI) has been designed to simplify the scheme, level the playing field, and provide stable, predictable delivery. It will be rolled out in two phases, with priority given to smaller farms and those not already participating in a scheme. A second application window will open in September for a wider range of applicants.

Animal Health and Welfare Pathway Increasing Payments

Payments for both the animal health and welfare review and the endemic disease follow-up will increase from the 22nd January 2026.
The increase reflects inflation and helps ensure farmers can continue to access high-quality support, while allowing vets enough time to provide a thorough and valuable service.

The payments will increase by 16% as an average across the species covered in the offer including pigs, sheep, beef and dairy cattle and biosecurity (all cattle)

How to access payments:

If you have an agreement:

If you are an existing agreement holder, you do not need to do anything now.

In January, once the increased payment rates are in place, the RPA will write to you with a variation to your agreement’s terms and conditions to reflect the new funding levels.

If you do not yet have an agreement:

To receive funding, you must have at least 11 cattle, 21 sheep or 51 pigs. You must also apply for an Improve Animal Health and Welfare (IAHW) agreement.

Make sure your agreement is approved and in place before you start any actions from your review or follow-up visit. Any visits carried out before your agreement begins will not be funded.

To apply you will need your RPA customer reference number and password.

What to expect from an animal health and welfare review:

During the review, a vet of your choice will assess health, welfare and farm conditions, which include animal condition, housing, nutrition, water and handling.

Your vet will:
• Review disease risks and biosecurity, looking at how disease could enter or spread and how it is currently controlled.
• Carry out required disease testing by taking samples to check for specific endemic diseases, depending on your livestock type.
• Discuss medicine use and improvements, including reviewing antibiotics and medicines and agreeing priority actions for improvement.

After the visit, you’ll receive a summary with recommendations, a plan to help manage disease and improve overall welfare as well as a baseline to measure progress.

If you would like an help or assistance on the above please contact the team on 01666 817278 and speak to one of our experienced farm consultants.