Morning, Thursday, 10th September 2026
Online
This conference will explore next steps for agricultural policy and consider implications for farm productivity, sector resilience, environmental stewardship, and fairness across the supply chain.
Following the publication of the Farming Profitability Review, the conference will bring stakeholders and policymakers together to assess emerging priorities ahead of the forthcoming 25-Year Farming Roadmap and establishment of the Farming and Food Partnership Board. Discussion will consider the direction of the new Sustainable Farming Incentive (SFI) scheme and related reform, alongside wider concerns of farm business viability, access to investment, and the importance of policy and funding clarity, with particular attention to practical challenges faced by tenant, upland, and smaller farms.
Payment schemes
Sessions will focus on the design and delivery of SFI and associated payment schemes, including how confidence in long-term scheme stability can be strengthened. Delegates will consider how payment caps may interact with collaboration and different farm business structures, and how eligibility rules and landlord consent requirements affect access for tenant and smaller farms. Discussion will also examine how application processes, scoring frameworks, and inspection regimes can be made predictable and proportionate, with a view to managing administrative burden while maintaining accountability.
Strategic direction
Those attending will examine the evolving strategic framework for UK agriculture, including how sector growth plans can translate into measurable improvements in productivity and market performance, as well as priorities for the forthcoming 25-Year Farming Roadmap to set direction for tackling both short and long-term challenges.
Delegates will explore how food production is positioned within the broader concept of public goods, and how environmental regulation - including land use, water quality, and nutrient management - can be aligned with productivity, competitiveness, and climate objectives. Strategic options for expanding opportunities around agri-tourism and on-farm diversification will also be considered, examining how planning reform, cross-government collaboration, targeted investment, and business support can unlock sustainable rural growth while strengthening farm resilience and environmental delivery.
Supply chain fairness
Further sessions will consider options for strengthening fairness and competitiveness across the supply chain, as well as assessing the role and remit of the Farming and Food Partnership Board. Delegates will review the scope and enforcement of supply chain codes in light of the Statutory Review of the Groceries Code Adjudicator, including questions around price transmission, retailer bargaining power, and distribution of costs. We expect discussion on the use of fair dealings regulations for specific sectors and their future role going forward as other sectors are considered, opportunities for supporting farmers’ access to market data to strengthen their price negotiation, and options for mitigating disproportionate risk for producers. There will also be discussion on how domestic environmental and welfare standards interact with trade policy, and how to maintain competitiveness while upholding regulatory objectives.
Overview of areas for discussion
- policy:
- balancing food security, net zero commitments, biodiversity recovery, trade competitiveness, and animal health resilience across different land types and regions
- providing clearer sequencing on reform - improving accountability and setting a stable long-term direction
- implications of inheritance tax reform for succession planning, farm structure, and business continuity
- integrating environmental regulation - including water and land-use measures - with productivity and climate resilience objectives
- embedding food production as a public good within long-term governance and rural community viability
- SFI, payments and funding:
- practical rollout of SFI, ELM Capital Grants, the Farming Equipment and Technology Fund, and Farming Innovation Programme
- priorities for coordination, transparency, and administrative simplicity
- assessing how the introduction of a SFI £100k annual payment cap might affect different business structures
- how funding mechanisms can support farm business viability, succession planning, and integration of environmental outcomes with productive farming
- providing multi-year clarity and predictability to strengthen confidence in long-term scheme stability
- ensuring equitable access for tenant, upland and smaller farms - addressing barriers linked to inspections, compliance, and eligibility criteria
- role of data, monitoring frameworks, and decision-support tools in evaluating environmental delivery and improving on-farm decision-making
- assessing the interaction of payment schemes with wider investment access and capital planning
- strategy, and food as a public good:
- coordinating food production, environmental outcomes, and regulatory compliance within a coherent national strategy
- managing trade-offs between productivity, land use, nature recovery, and climate targets
- assessing the Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government’s remit
- key considerations for a planning blueprint for food production
- aligning environmental initiatives with long-term rural economic resilience
- strengthening governance arrangements to improve cross-departmental coordination and policy coherence
- fairness in the supply chain:
- access to private finance, export opportunities, market development, and planning reform to prioritise food production
- examining enforcement of supply chain codes and assessing the Statutory Review of the Groceries Code Adjudicator
- addressing concerns about price transmission, retailer bargaining power, and distribution of costs
- implications of inheritance tax reforms and wider cost pressures for investment confidence and supply chain resilience
- ensuring equitable participation for tenant and smaller farms across different production systems
- addressing competition with imported agricultural products while maintaining trade competitiveness
- embedding stakeholder perspectives in policy development to build confidence, trust, and responsiveness across the sector
- the role and remit of the Farming and Food Partnership Board
