A GOVERNMENT U-turn on funding for sustainable farming methods has been welcomed by farmers across Exmoor and West Somerset.

The Department for Environment, Food, and Rural Affairs (Defra) had decided to stop grants under its Sustainable Farming Incentive (SFI).

But following legal pressure from the National Farmers’ Union (NFU) it has restored access to what was seen as vital environmental funding.

SFI was a key part of the former Conservative Government’s post-Brexit farm support system, designed to reward farmers for practices which improved soil health, biodiversity, and water quality.

Exmoor farmer and Conservative Rural Forum South West chairman James Wright welcomed the victory, but said it should never have happened in the first place.

Mr Wright said SFI was meant to be the backbone of a new, greener agricultural future, until Labour abruptly slammed the door shut.

The scheme was closed in March to new applicants with immediate effect, leaving more than 3,000 Westcountry farmers in limbo with partially completed applications and no explanation.

Mr Wright said the NFU launched a legal challenge, arguing the move was not only unjustified but unlawful.

Now, Defra has admitted handling the closure wrongly and reopened the application window for affected farmers to finish their submissions.

Mr Wright said: “This was a shambles.

“Labour pulled the rug from under thousands of farmers with no warning and no plan.

“That is not how you treat the people who feed the country.

“Credit to the NFU for standing up and forcing a rethink.

“It is a reminder that rural Britain cannot be an afterthought in Whitehall.

“If this is what Labour calls a ‘record investment’ in farming, then heaven help us when the cuts come.”

Mr Wright is calling for future changes to the scheme to be made transparently, with clear timelines and proper consultation, so farmers can plan with confidence.