Farmers paid to protect nature in dramatic overhaul of subsidies scheme

From planting wildflowers and new hedgerows to tackling crop pests without pesticides, farmers will now be paid for 280 different measures to protect Britain's natural world, which provides food, water and habitats.

The long-awaited overhaul of farming subsidies has been hailed as a "genuine benefit of Brexit" and broadly welcomed by farmers and green groups.

The voluntary scheme replaces a European Union regime that based payments on the amount of land farmed, meaning sometimes big pay-outs for wealthy land-owners rather than struggling farmers.

The government says the money will help farmers in England to produce food in a less environmentally damaging way.

It has now opened up £1bn of the £2.4bn annual agriculture budget for nature-friendly farming.

The UK ranks among the worst countries globally for the state of its life-sustaining plants and wildlife, with some 71% of its land taken up by agriculture.

The Environment Secretary Therese Coffey said farmers "are at the heart of our economy - producing the food on our tables as well as being the custodians of the land it comes from".

"These two roles go hand-in-hand and we are speeding up the rollout of our farming schemes so that everyone can be financially supported as they protect the planet while producing food more sustainably."

Environmentalist and columnist George Monbiot called the new system the "one genuine benefit of Brexit". If successful, it could become a template for reform across the EU, whose system is a "disaster", he wrote on Twitter.

The new measures alone will not be sufficient to ensure the UK meets all its climate and nature targets. Just last week, the environmental watchdog, the Office for Environmental Protection, slammed the government for falling short on almost every measure.

The subsidies have been brought forward by a year as part of the Sustainable Farming Incentive (SFI), part of the government's environmental land management (ELM) schemes.

Three more standards that had been planned for 2024 will be introduced a year early, to subsidise the rewilding of grassland and the introduction of bird food, wildflowers and buffer strips of uncultivated land on arable and horticultural land.

Kitty Hamilton, a mixed farmer from east Lincolnshire, said the SFI pilot protected her farm's income while it gradually moved to more sustainable practices.

She said: "The pilot fits well with our current and planned farming methods, which means it's gently nudging us towards a more regenerative system.

"The fact that we can layer the standards, and use all of the land on the estate, means that we can generate a good income."

A total of 30 new grants will also be added to the Countryside Stewardship Scheme, which rewards sustainable practices such as managing floodplain meadows, eradicating the use of insecticides, restoring peatland, maintaining drystone walls and preserving cliff habitats.

Government should be 'more radical'

Farmers, who must plan well ahead, have welcomed the "clarity we have been asking for".

David Exwood, vice president of the National Farmers' Union, said: "For farmers and growers making crucial long-term decisions that are essential to running viable and profitable food-producing businesses, it's vital they have the full scheme details as soon as possible and know how the different schemes will work together."

But the process must work quickly and be available to all types of farm, he cautioned.

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However, the Soil Association accused ministers of doing little more than "tinkering around the edges" when "radical changes" are needed.

"We are facing a climate emergency and ecological collapse... Government must provide the long-term vision to help farmers do more than make small changes," Head of Farming Policy Gareth Morgan said.

"They need a package of guidance and incentives that spark a shift to nature-friendly farming across their entire farms."

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