This week, Defra confirms England’s Sustainable Farming Incentive will reopen for applications on 30 June – but only for some farmers, and with questions over budget.

Farm business adviser Katie Hilton explains the key changes in SFI 26, including land-use caps, no-till rules and revised payment rates.

We also examine a High Court ruling which could mean lower meat inspection charges for abattoirs, processors and livestock producers.

And royal recognition for Open Farm Sunday which celebrates its 20th anniversary – and why even small events can help reconnect the public with farming.

Podcast guests:

* Katie Hilton, director, Cheffins
* John Royle, NFU chief livestock policy adviser
* Rachel Risdon, Devon farmer and Open Farm Sunday host

Chapters

00:53 – Sustainable Farming Incentive
12:59 – High Court ruling on meat inspection charges
17:18 – Why small abattoirs matter to livestock farmers
24:19 – Listener feedback on Red Tractor reform
27:32 – Farmers Weekly Podcast Live at Cereals
30:23 – Sainsbury’s white eggs and trailer safety
33:53 – Market prices
36:16 – Open Farm Sunday celebrates 20 years
40:23 – Why public engagement matters
43:11 – Closing remarks

Useful links

• Sustainable Farming Incentive guidance
• Cheffins
• National Farmers Union
• Association of Independent Meat Suppliers
• British Meat Processors Association
• Food Standards Agency
• Open Farm Sunday
• LEAF
• Tilly Pass trailer safety
• Farmers Weekly stage at Cereals

This episode of the Farmers Weekly Podcast is co-hosted by Johann Tasker, Louise Impey and Hugh Broom. Edited and produced by Johann Tasker.

We love to hear from you: -

Contact or follow Johann: linkedin.com/in/johanntasker/

Contact or follow Louise: linkedin.com/in/louise-impey-95470b20b/

Contact or follow Hugh: linkedin.com/in/hugh-broom-9b11906a/

For Farmers Weekly, visit fwi.co.uk or follow linkedin.com/company/farmers-weekly

To contact, sponsor or advertise on the Farmers Weekly Podcast, email podcast@fwi.co.uk. In the UK, you can also text the word FARM followed by your message to 88 44 0.

See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

This week, farmers report delays receiving payments from soil carbon scheme Agreena – with some growers saying they are owed thousands of pounds.

We examine the latest Farm Assurance Review and ask whether Red Tractor and other schemes can deliver fairer treatment for UK grain producers facing competition from unassured imports.

We review Harvest, the new book by former NFU president Baroness Minette Batters.

And we visit the Green Farm Collective’s Soil to Slice conference in Harrogate, where farmers, millers, wholesalers and bakers are working together to build more value into regenerative supply chains.

Chapters

00:00 Welcome and headlines
00:51 Agreena payment delays spark farmer frustration
09:40 Farm Assurance Review – what happens next?
19:56 Minette Batters’ new book Harvest
25:29 Sugar beet with a clover understorey
28:33 Rural crime falls by 21%
33:53 Markets: lamb breaks £9/kg, diesel dips below £1/litre
36:48 Soil to Slice: building value through regenerative supply chains
47:15 Podcast wrap-up

Guests

* George Dunn, Chief Executive, Tenant Farmers Association
* Michael Kavanagh, Green Farm Collective
* Verity Megginson, Yorkshire regenerative farmer
* Natalia Spinetto, Director of Impact & Strategy, Collective Food
* George Herbert, Hobbs House Bakery

Useful links

* Agreena
* Tenant Farmers Association
* Red Tractor Assurance
* Green Farm Collective
* Collectiv Food
* Hobbs House Bakery

This episode of the Farmers Weekly Podcast is co-hosted by Johann Tasker, Louise Impey and Hugh Broom. Edited and produced by Johann Tasker.

We love to hear from you: -

Contact or follow Johann: linkedin.com/in/johanntasker/

Contact or follow Louise: linkedin.com/in/louise-impey-95470b20b/

Contact or follow Hugh: linkedin.com/in/hugh-broom-9b11906a/

For Farmers Weekly, visit fwi.co.uk or follow linkedin.com/company/farmers-weekly

To contact, sponsor or advertise on the Farmers Weekly Podcast, email podcast@fwi.co.uk. In the UK, you can also text the word FARM followed by your message to 88 44 0.

See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

This week, police pledge tougher action on hare coursing after an Essex farmer suffers almost 200 incidents in eight months.

The government unveils plans to slash tariffs on 100 food items imported into the UK. We examine the impact of food price controls on UK farmers.

Beef sector leaders call for fairer pricing as the market eases ahead of the Beef Expo industry showcase at Melton Mowbray livestock market.

And we meet the farmer testing “firewater” – a Defra-funded ADOPT project aiming to make nitrogen from air, water and electricity.

Guests

Tom Bradshaw – NFU president
Neil Shand – chief executive, National Beef Association
Hugh Brown – chief executive, Gillstream Markets / Melton Mowbray Market
Matthew Register – Essex farmer
Robyn Munton – NFU vice-president
Tim Ellis – farmer involved in the Firewater ADOPT project

Chapters

01:04 – Food tariffs and price caps
01:43 – Tom Bradshaw warning
03:24 – Food import controls analysed
14:36 – Beef market analysis
27:30 – Hare-coursing crackdown
30:34 – Red diesel thefts and fuel duty
34:30 – Markets update
36:46 – Fertiliser from air and water

Useful links

• Targeted food tariff cuts
• NFU update on hare-coursing sentencing guidelines
• NBA Beef Expo 2026
• Adopt Project on firewater
• Farmers Weekly Market Prices

This episode of the Farmers Weekly Podcast is co-hosted by Johann Tasker, Louise Impey and Hugh Broom. Edited and produced by Johann Tasker.

We love to hear from you: -

Contact or follow Johann: linkedin.com/in/johanntasker/

Contact or follow Louise: linkedin.com/in/louise-impey-95470b20b/

Contact or follow Hugh: linkedin.com/in/hugh-broom-9b11906a/

For Farmers Weekly, visit fwi.co.uk or follow linkedin.com/company/farmers-weekly

To contact, sponsor or advertise on the Farmers Weekly Podcast, email podcast@fwi.co.uk. In the UK, you can also text the word FARM followed by your message to 88 44 0.

See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.