There was an angry industry reaction this week when the latest application window for the government's Sustainable Farming Incentive (SFI) scheme slammed shut in less than a day - after its entire £253m budget was frantically snapped up on a "first come, first served" basis.

Among the countless frustrated farmers unable to secure funding for their environmental work was James Chapman, who runs Chapman Farms, based at Rollesby near Great Yarmouth.

It was Norfolk's champion farm business in 2025, and this year Mr Chapman is a finalist in two national Farmers Weekly awards - including the "environmental champion" category.

But now he has lost a proposed three-year SFI scheme which would have paid £6,000 per year for establishing environmental features including cover crops and grass leys.

"I'm very disappointed," said Mr Chapman. "It is not just a financial loss, but also an environmental loss."

"There is a financial implication to my business. Firstly, in all the planning that had gone on to get to this point. Then the cost of our agents putting the application together,........

© Norwich Evening News