Biggest shake-up in farming policy in England for 50 years

The UK government is pushing ahead in its efforts to improve the environment for future generations with the biggest shake-up in farming policy in England for 50 years.

Farmers currently benefit from a 1.6bn fund for simply owning land, however this is set to be phased out by 2028. The fund will instead be used to pay farmers to restore wild habitats, create new woodlands, boost soils, and cut pesticide use. Farmers will also get grants to improve productivity and animal welfare, including new robotic equipment. The goal of the plan is that farmers will, within seven years, be producing healthy and profitable food in a sustainable way and without subsidies.

The shake-up comes as the environment secretary, George Eustice, acknowledged the damage done to the environment by industrial farming since the 1960s and said the new plans would deliver for nature and help fight the climate crisis. Agricultural land occupies 70% of England and is reported as the biggest driver of biodiversity loss, also producing significant greenhouse gas emissions and water pollution.

The overhaul in agricultural policy is possible due to the UK leaving the EU, whose common agricultural policy has been widely regarded by those on both sides of the Brexit debate, as damaging to nature.

The total of £2.4bn a year currently paid to farmers will remain the same until 2025, as promised by the government. Roughly two-thirds of this is paid solely for owning land, but the proportion will fall to one-third by 2025 and zero by 2028. Funds for environmental action will rise from a quarter of the total to more than half by 2025, with the remaining funds used to increase productivity.

The new policy and payment structure will be trialled amongst 5,000 farmers before a full launch in 2024. Payments for work such as natural flood defences and restoring peatlands and saltmarshes is yet to be set.

The president of the National Farmers’ Union, Minette Batters, said: “Farming is changing, and we look forward to working with ministers and officials to co-create the new schemes.” But she added: “Expecting farmers to run viable, high-cost farm businesses, continue to produce food and increase their environmental delivery, while phasing out existing support and without a complete replacement scheme for almost three years is high risk and a very big ask.”

The cuts are expected to reduce the income of livestock farmers, for example, by 60% to 80% by 2024, Batters said. With such radical changes on the horizon we may see more farmers resorting to other revenue streams such as agritourism, luxury camp sites, both of which have seen a huge surge in recent years and this year in particular with foreign travel restrictions in place.

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