The deadline has been extended for farmers across the Durham Dales to get advice on how to access the Sustainable Farming Incentive (SFI).

There is now an extra week for farmers to sign up to a programme to help them navigate the process and better understand policy changes that will affect their farms in the future.

The Farm for the Future scheme has been running for two years and provides one-to-one support from The Royal Countryside Fund and its local delivery partners. It has already helped more than 1,600 farmers in England access SFI. 

A surge in interest in recent weeks has prompted the charity to extend the enrolment deadline to October 7.

Aimed at farmers who received the Basic Payment Scheme (BPS) in England, Farm for the Future provides workshops and a one-to-one meeting for every participating farm, to guide them on SFI and other opportunities, and improve profitability and resilience through the ongoing agricultural transition.

The RCF delivers this tailored guidance through Upper Teesdale Agricultural Support Services (UTASS).

Michael Bullen, Farm for the Future programme manager at the RCF, said: "The Farm for the Future programme has been incredibly well received so far so we wanted to give farmers across the Durham Dales a final chance to sign up and take advantage of this funded support.

"The Royal Countryside Fund, as a charity, is able to give this advice entirely impartially, and we aim to provide ongoing support to Farm for the Future farmers long after the programme has ended.

"We’re working with UTASS to deliver this programme; who have an in-depth understanding of the issues facing farms in their local area.”

Workshops will be delivered until December 2024.

To find a local group or join the programme online, visit www.royalcountrysidefund.org.uk/farmforthefuture. For more information and to express an interest in taking part, contact Grace Crawford at UTASS on 01833 641 010 or info@utass.org.