Vikki Slade MP demands emergency support for Dorset farmers after government funding “shambles”

The Dorset MP is calling for urgent support for farming, after the shambolic rollout of the Sustainable Farming Incentive meant many were left without vital funds.

The funding scheme opened in late September with virtually no notice and closed just six hours later when money ran out. The abrupt closure left farmers across Dorset without access to a universal baseline payment for the first time since 1945.

Vikki Slade MP for Mid Dorset and North Poole said:

"It is an absolute disgrace that farmers in Dorset working tirelessly to keep food on our tables and protect our countryside are being failed time and again.

“I recently met with local farmers in the National Farming Union to discuss the issues that are affecting them the most at the moment and the SFI shambles was at the top of their list.

“The Government mishandled the Sustainable Farming Incentive and turned it into a chaotic six-hour frenzy. That is no way to run national agricultural policy.”

The Sustainable Farming Incentive (SFI) was introduced to support farmers with costs for food production and environmental projects. It was brought in after Brexit to replace the EU’s Basic Payments System (BPS). The scheme has faced issues since its launch under the previous Conservative government.

Vikki Slade MP for Mid Dorset and North Poole said:

“The Government needs to treat this as the emergency that it is and take urgent action to support British farmers, providing immediate funding to farmers who were locked out by the SFI process.

“Food security is national security, we cannot let this important industry continue to struggle for survival if we want to be a strong and self-sufficient nation.”