Farmers in England fear for nature after sustainable farming funding frozen

Estate manager Anthony Curwen has been farming sustainably and enjoyed seeing yellow hammers return to Quex Park in Kent, but is worried other farmers won’t get the opportunity. Photograph: Ernie Janes/Alamy

Farmers fear they will no longer be able to afford to restore nature in England and reduce their carbon footprint after government funding for doing this was frozen.

The environment secretary, Steve Reed, recently announced that the sustainable farming incentive (SFI), which pays farmers for making space for nature on their land, would be paused and overhauled before June’s spending review. The scope of the scheme – and its budget – are being reassessed.