Farming: Dismay over Defra roadmap for future support

While the release of Defra’s plans for future farm support in England saw much fanfare from the general media, farming organisations yesterday claimed that the so-called “roadmap for future support” was sadly lacking in either signposts or slip roads to reach the proposed new order.

The industry indicated that while statements given by Defra Secretary of State George Eustice were big on aspiration and banged the drum for a brighter post-Brexit future, it was made plain direct payments to farmers south of the Border would fall to half their current level by 2024 and be phased out entirely by 2028, with future support measures based on new environmental schemes.

Calling the new plan “an evolution and not a revolution”, Mr Eustice revealed that cuts to direct support would be brought in progressively, with cuts of between 5 per cent and 25 per cent being applied in 2021, and larger cuts in the following years. The secretary of state also revealed an exit scheme for those wishing to quit the industry, which he said would allow lump sum claims to be made from 2022 onwards against expected future payments.

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Revealing some of the details at an Oxford Farming Conference event yesterday, Mr Eustice was accused of “making announcements about making announcements” – as most of the action points will still have to undergo a protracted consultation period before any final format is agreed upon. He was also attacked over the UK Government’s failure to conduct a full financial impact assessment – for both the effects of his proposals and for the repercussions which the moves could have across the wider food supply chain.

Hard details on how the proposed Environmental Land Management Schemes would operate remained scant but it was revealed that they would fall into three categories.

The Sustainable Farming Incentive is aimed at encouraging approaches to farm husbandry that deliver for the environment, such as actions to improve soil health and integrated pest management.

The Local Nature Recovery will pay for actions such as creating, managing or restoring habitats, natural flood management and species management.

And the Landscape Recovery will focus on landscape and ecosystem recovery through projects looking to achieve large-scale woodland creation, peatland restoration, or coastal restoration.

The English NFU welcomed some measures but warned that with the devolved nations taking a different approach, the speed of the cuts could leave them at a competitive disadvantage: “These payments have been a lifeline for many farmers, especially when prices or growing conditions have been volatile, and will be very difficult to replace in the first four years of transition. Can Ministers be sure new schemes will be available at scale to deliver redirected BPS payments?” asked NFU president Minette Batters.

She challenged Defra to ensure livestock farmers who faced losses of 60- 80 per cent of their overall income by 2024 would be able to access schemes which offered rewards which provided a genuine income for their businesses over that timescale.