Upland farmers from Exmoor to the Lake District will benefit from
improved access to the government’s farming schemes, with
increased payment rates and improved options under Countryside
Stewardship.
Upland farmers play a vital role in keeping the nation fed while
protecting the environment, and government is committed to making
sure that their interests are protected and represented in the
new faming schemes being delivered now that Britain has left the
EU and is free from the bureaucratic Common Agricultural Policy.
The changes announced today by the Secretary of State for Food
and Farming follow direct feedback from the sector, and will help
to support them as sustainable food producers and custodians of
England’s most-loved landscapes for years to come.
Following feedback from uplands farmers and industry
representatives, the government is:
-
Making payment rates in environmental land management schemes
equal for both upland and lowland farms where they are
carrying out the same actions. This means increased rates for
upland farmers in four Countryside Stewardship options.
-
Reviewing and amending a further seven Countryside
Stewardship options make them more accessible to upland
farmers.
-
Improving engagement with upland farmers with focused advice
and support to help them access schemes.
Prime Minister said:
I want to pay tribute to our upland farmers who not only deliver
some of our finest produce, but also act as the guardians of some
of our country’s most iconic landscapes.
As we work to deliver a fairer, more sustainable farming system
outside the EU, we are determined to make sure their interests
are at the heart of these efforts. That’s why we’ve set out a
range of new support to ensure that they feel the benefits of our
new schemes for years to come.
Secretary of State for Food and Farming Thérèse Coffey said:
The uplands are a hugely important part of our English landscape
and heritage and upland farmers are crucial for our rural
economy.
We’ve worked closely with upland farmers from day one, and
they’ve told me personally what further support they need, so
today we’re further responding to their feedback with increased
payments, an improved offer and more engagement to ensure they
are at the centre of our schemes.
These changes will support the delivery of the government’s
pledge to ensure there is something for every type of farmer in
their new schemes, as direct land-based payments are phased out.
Rewarding farmers for low inputs on grasslands in upland areas,
which previously earned farmers £98 per hectare, will increase to
£151 - the same payment farmers elsewhere receive. At the upper
end of the scale, creation of upland wood pasture will increase
from £333 per hectare to £544 to align payments for upland and
lowland farmers.
Following feedback from farmers, there will also be improvements
made to existing offers within Countryside Stewardship, with
details to follow as part of the full 2024 offer in the summer.
Today’s announcement follows significant work to make sure that
upland farmers are at the centre of England’s farming policies.
Upland farmers can:
-
Get paid for over 130 relevant actions under the Countryside
Stewardship and the Sustainable Farming Incentive from 2024.
This will include new moorland and upland peat action, with
considerably higher payments for moorlands in good
environmental condition
-
Extend their Higher Level Stewardship agreements for five
years running alongside Countryside Stewardship or SFI
agreements, allowing them to get paid for more actions and
take advantage of price increases
-
Apply for the second round of the Landscape Recovery scheme,
which is open to individual or groups of land managers
-
Apply for upland Wildlife Offers for a range of management
options that focus on providing habitats for farm wildlife
-
Apply for the Farming in Protected Landscapes programme if
they are in an AONB, National Park or the Broads.
-
Express an interesting in a free vet visit to reduce costs
and improve productivity.
