David Reed has called on the Government to urgently address the sudden withdrawal of the Sustainable Farming Incentive (SFI) scheme and to explain why DEFRA Ministers have failed to engage with Devon’s farming community.
During today’s DEFRA Questions, David Reed criticised Ministers for repeatedly ignoring his attempts to secure a meeting between Devon’s farmers and the Secretary of State. Since early December, he has sent multiple letters and invitations requesting a discussion on how changes to Agricultural Property Relief (APR) and Business Property Relief (BPR) will affect farmers in the region. Yet, despite repeated requests, no meeting has been arranged.
"I am starting to feel like DEFRA Ministers are purposefully ignoring me and Devon’s farming community. I have given the Secretary of State since early December to answer my letters and my invitations to meet with Devon’s farming community, in order to explain how changes to Agricultural Property Relief and Business Property Relief are going to affect them. At the last DEFRA Questions, I called out the Secretary of State for not replying to any of my requests. The Minister for Food, Farming and Fisheries replied from the Dispatch Box that:
‘I would love to meet farmers in Devon, so I am happy to add him to the list for my grand tour across the country to reassure people that there is a strong plan to ensure that farmers have a viable future.’—[Official Report, 6 February 2025; Vol. 761, c. 909.]
So far, those platitudes have gone unrealised. With less than a month until these changes take effect, Devon’s farmers are still in the dark about how the changes are going to affect them. If this is how Ministers treat fellow MPs, is it any wonder that farmers up and down the country feel completely abandoned by this Labour Government?"
In response to David Reed’s pressing question, DEFRA Minister Daniel Zeichner failed to provide any meaningful reassurance, instead offering a dismissive remark that he had visited Devon before and would do so again—while suggesting that fewer parliamentary questions from Conservative MPs would give him more time to engage with farmers.
"This response is completely inadequate," said David Reed. "Farmers don’t need vague promises or deflection—they need clear answers. If this is how Ministers treat fellow MPs, is it any wonder that farmers up and down the country feel completely abandoned by this Labour Government?"
Alongside this failure to engage, the Government’s sudden withdrawal of the Sustainable Farming Incentive (SFI) scheme has left farmers across Devon in financial distress and uncertainty. David Reed has called on the Government to provide immediate clarity on financial support for affected farmers and what alternative measures will replace the scrapped scheme.
"Farmers in my constituency have spent thousands on agents’ fees preparing SFI applications—some due to submit them on the very day the scheme was scrapped, they have been left out of pocket and without a clear path forward. Farming requires long-term planning, and the Government’s approach is creating uncertainty at a time when we need stability in British agriculture."
The withdrawal of the SFI scheme follows concerns about the proposed changes to APR and BPR, which could see family farms burdened with significant Inheritance Tax (IHT) liabilities. Many fear this could lead to the forced sale of farmland, putting the future of rural businesses and food production at risk.
David Reed is continuing to press for immediate financial support for farmers affected by the SFI withdrawal, as well as an urgent meeting between Ministers and Devon’s agricultural community to address these concerns.
