Embargoed: Not
for publication or broadcast before 00.01am Friday 4th December
2020
Ministers have introduced the Government’s plans for an
agricultural transition in England as the most
fundamental shift in farming policy for 50
years. In anticipation of the phasing out of EU-style direct
payments, the Environment, Food and Rural Affairs (EFRA) Select
Committee today launches its inquiry into Environmental
Land Management and the agricultural transition.
The transition period between from the existing to the proposed
scheme is set to last 7 years, with questions remaining about the
impact on farmers, and how the Sustainable Farming Incentive will
support landowners during the transition. Ahead of the national
pilot of the new Environmental Land Management scheme (ELM)
launching in late 2021, the EFRA Committee will scrutinise the
pilot's design, and question how the Government will ensure
sufficient support to farmers and land managers throughout the
transition to the new scheme.
Chair of the EFRA Committee, , said:
"The Government now has the opportunity deliver a new
agricultural policy that's not only good for farmers and land
managers, but also good for the environment. There are certainly
questions to be asked over the coming years about the final plan.
But in the here and now, it's the transition that we need to
drill down into. The changeover needs to be done in a way which
ensures farmers and land-owners are not left struggling to
support their businesses and in the dark about how to access the
new scheme."
The Committee is now seeking answers on the following questions,
with an initial deadline of 29th January 2021:
1. Is the Government’s timeframe for the national pilot, full
roll-out of ELM and phasing out direct payments by 2027 feasible?
2. Will the Sustainable Farming Incentive be a viable support
measure for farmers before the full roll-out of ELM? Is further
support required during the transition period?
3. How effectively has Defra engaged with land managers and other
stakeholders on the design of ELM, including on the transitional
arrangements?
4. How can ELM be made an attractive business choice for farmers
and land managers while effectively delivering its policy goals?
5. How can the Government ensure that ELM agreements achieve
their intended environmental outcomes, reduce bureaucratic
burdens on farmers and deliver value for money?
6. What lessons should be learned from the successes and failures
of previous schemes paying for environmental outcomes?
