Farming leaders in East Anglia have welcomed the expansion of a government payment scheme which rewards farmers for actions to protect nature and create habitats.

The Sustainable Farming Incentive (SFI) is part of a new system of environmental payments being introduced while the previous EU subsidy regime is being phased out after Brexit.

Defra has announced its expanded SFI offer from July will comprise 102 actions, including more than 20 new options to support "more sustainable food production".

They include payments for precision farming, agroforestry, support for flood resilience and more actions for tenants on short-term contracts. 

More than 50 simplified actions from the mid-tier Countryside Stewardship scheme will also be merged into SFI to "streamline the application process for farmers".

Charles Hesketh, regional policy manager for the National Farmers' Union (NFU) in the East of England, said: "With many farmers in the East facing another challenging year off the back of one of the wettest winter and springs on record, it’s encouraging that we now have the much-needed clarity over the new 2024 environmental land management offer.

"With more options available farmers will be busy digesting the announcement and considering what may work for them.

"It has been a long road to get to this point with the decline of direct payments over the past four years and slow development of the new scheme having a real impact on farm businesses' bottom line.

"Hopefully this announcement will go some way to giving the farming sector the confidence boost it really needs to continue doing what it does best - contributing to our national food security by producing sustainable, climate-friendly food alongside protecting and enhancing our precious environment."

READ MORE: NFU farming leaders react to Defra's 'Farm to Fork' pledges

Defra says the 2024 scheme is on track to be the most popular ever, with 23,000 applications received.

Farming minister Mark Spencer said: "I recognise that farmers have had to deal with difficult circumstances this year.

"The new expanded SFI offer gives farmers more choice, makes things easier and pays out more, so they can get on with the important job of producing high quality food in a sustainable way."

In March, Defra announced a 25pc cap on SFI actions which take land out of food production - which will now be applied to options including in-field grass strips, unharvested cereal headlands, "bumblebird" mix and cultivated areas for arable plants.