Rebecca Smith, MP for South West Devon, has challenged the Farming Minister after a constituent missed out on £50,000 in funding because he returned from market two minutes after applications closed.

Speaking in Parliament, Miss Smith raised the farmer’s experience of applying for the Sustainable Farming Incentive (SFI), which pays farmers to carry out work supporting the environment alongside food production.

Her constituent returned home at 3.50pm on September 22 to finish an application he had already been preparing, only to discover that the Government had closed the scheme at 3.48pm that afternoon.

Responding, Farming Minister Stephen Morgan acknowledged the difficulties faced by farmers unable to apply and invited Miss Smith to send him her constituent’s details.

The exchange came a day after Labour MPs backed regulations implementing the Carbon Border Adjustment Mechanism.

From January 2027, this will place a levy on carbon emissions associated with imported fertiliser, prompting concerns about further costs for farming businesses.

Labour also voted against a Conservative motion that same day calling on the Government to cut public spending to abolish inheritance tax on family homes, farms and businesses.

Miss Smith said: “Being at market is part of a farmer’s working day, so my constituent shouldn’t have missed out on £50,000 because he was doing his job rather than sitting at a computer.

“Farmers spend time planning these applications and making decisions about their businesses around the funding available. They cannot be expected to put everything on hold for a fastest-to-the-button lottery.

“Whilst farmers are trying to make their businesses add up, Labour keeps piling on the pressure. Conservatives would scrap the family farm tax because we want the next generation to be able to carry on farming, rather than face selling land to pay the tax bill. Our rural communities deserve a Government that stands up for them. Labour won’t. The Conservatives will.”