Farmers who missed the latest Sustainable Farming Incentive round are being urged to review their finances and seek other funding after applications closed within hours.
Accountants at Kinbrook Group firms Old Mill and Duncan & Toplis urged affected farmers to assess the financial hit and seek other support after SFI 2026 closed in under six hours.
Willem Puddy, Old Mill’s head of rural, said: "Many farmers are rightly disappointed that the second application window for SFI 2026 closed less than six hours after opening, leaving them questioning what to do next.
"Missing out on anticipated income may require adjustments, but it also provides an opportunity to review the financial position of the farm and make sure future plans remain right for the business."
He urged farmers to calculate the lost SFI payments and revisit business decisions that relied on the money.
Mr Puddy said: "The first step is to establish what the anticipated SFI payments would have contributed to your business.
"Consider whether planned expenditure was reliant on the funding, whether costs can be adjusted, and what this means for working capital."
Support payments made up about 30 per cent of farm income in clients’ 2025 accounts.
But Mr Puddy said missing out on SFI 2026 did not mean farmers had to abandon environmental or land-management plans.
He said: "There could still be other support available and, dependent on your proposed activities, future opportunities that could be explored."
He also advised farmers to follow future SFI schemes and use the time to assess which actions could benefit their businesses next time.
Mr Puddy said: "Preparing early can put farmers in a stronger position when new opportunities become available."
Mark Chatterton, Duncan & Toplis’s head of agriculture, said it was also a good time to review investment and business plans.
Mr Chatterton said: "Some investments will remain worthwhile, particularly those that can improve productivity, reduce costs or support the long-term performance of the farm.
"But it could make sense for others to be delayed, phased or reconsidered."
He advised farmers to check whether planned investments still made financial sense without the funding.
Mr Chatterton said: "The important question is whether the investment still makes financial sense.
"Consider potential returns, cashflow and the wider benefit to the farming operation."
He also urged farmers to review their business resilience, including profits, efficiency, costs, diversification and how they use their assets.
Mr Chatterton said: "The aim is not to make significant changes simply because SFI funding was unavailable.
"Instead, it is about using the latest development as a prompt to make sure resources are being directed towards areas that support the farm’s priorities."
Old Mill, part of Kinbrook Group, provides accountancy, tax, financial planning and advisory services to more than 5,000 clients, including rural businesses and landed estates.
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