Around 12,200 applications went in during SFI26 Window 2, the window that opened and closed on 22 September. That is nearly twice Window 1, which Defra now counts at around 6,700. The figures come from the official statistics Defra published on 25 September, and they show a very different set of farms from the first window.
Who applied
Window 1 was reserved for small farms and for those without an existing agreement. Window 2 was open to everyone, and the people who came through the door were mostly farms about to lose an agreement they already had.
- Around 72% of Window 2 applications came from businesses whose Countryside Stewardship, Environmental Stewardship or SFI agreement expires by February 2027. That is around 8,800 farms. In Window 1 this group was 4%.
- About 21% came from farms with 3 to 50 hectares. In Window 1 it was 68%.
- Around 10% came from farms with no existing agreement of any kind, about the same share as in Window 1.
The five most requested actions
Counted by how many applications included each action:
- CLIG3, manage grassland with very low nutrient inputs: 7,415 applications (60.8%)
- CHRW2, manage hedgerows: 4,310 (35.3%)
- CSAM3, herbal leys: 3,370 (27.6%)
- CAHL2, winter bird food on arable and horticultural land: 2,657 (21.8%)
- CIPM4, no use of insecticide on arable and permanent crops: 2,621 (21.5%)
The first three were also among the five most common actions in Window 1. What each one requires and what it pays is on our SFI26 page, taken from GOV.UK.
What an SFI26 agreement is worth
These figures are for Window 1, the only agreements live so far. As of 24 September, the average agreement value is £28,000, across 5,752 live agreements. Under SFI23 and the SFI expanded offer the average was £56,000, double.
The average is pulled up by a few large agreements. 90% of Window 1 agreements are worth no more than £63,000, against £126,000 under the earlier versions, so there are fewer very large agreements this time. SFI26 also has a cap of £100,000 a year per agreement. Defra warns that these figures may change considerably as more agreements go live.
What this means for the queue
A submitted application is not yet an agreement. As we covered when the window closed, the Rural Payments Agency works through applications in the order they arrived and offers an agreement only while budget remains. Window 2 had £233 million. Defra has not said how many of the 12,200 applications that will cover, and it has not yet given a date for offers.
For anyone whose old agreement ends by February 2027 and who did not get an application in, Defra has said there will be another chance at SFI in 2027, with details to follow. What else is open is on our farming grants page, and we will email the day the next offer opens.
This is a summary of what Defra has published, not advice. The source is Defra's Sustainable Farming Incentive applications, Window 2, September 2026. Our earlier piece on Window 2 opening and the Window 1 figures has the background.