Stuart Anderson, South Shropshire’s Conservatives Parliamentary Candidate, has welcomed a raft of measures to back British farmers. It includes an increase in funding and a reduction in red tape for farmers and land managers. The support, announced by Environment Secretary Steve Barclay MP at the Oxford Farming Conference on 4 January, is the biggest upgrade to the UK’s farming schemes since leaving the European Union.
Stuart welcomed a 10% increase in the average value of agreements in environmental land management schemes - unlocking more money for farmers. Recipients of the Sustainable Farming Incentive and Countryside Stewardship schemes will benefit from increased payment rates - with uplifts automatically applied to existing agreements. Premium payments are also being introduced, so farmers are paid more for actions that have the biggest environmental impact or combinations of actions that deliver benefits at scale. For example, payments for maintaining species rich grassland will increase from £182 to £646 per hectare.
Around 8,000 farmers have already applied to the Sustainable Farming Incentive 2023 and there has been a 94% increase in Countryside Stewardship agreements since 2020. To make sure all farmers can benefit, regardless of farm type or tenure, around 50 new actions are being added to the schemes for farmers to choose what is right for them - forming the most comprehensive offer yet. For the first time, they will get paid for agroforestry or taking up precision agricultural technologies, such as robotic mechanical weeding.
Starting this year, more actions will be available for shorter 3-year agreements - improving flexibility that will benefit tenant farmers, as recommended by the Rock Review. Farmers who have already signed up to the Sustainable Farming Incentive will be able to add on any new additional actions to their agreements at the annual review point or benefit from the expanded offer with an additional agreement when it opens for applications this summer. In addition, the timeline for new agreements being offered will be accelerated to help farmers benefit from the changes earlier than in previous years. The application process will also be simplified by enabling farmers to apply for ‘Mid Tier’ through a single application, meaning farmers will have access to the same actions and can have the same ambitions - just with less paperwork.
Stuart Anderson said: “Farmers are the backbone of our rural economy in Shropshire and I am devoted to supporting them. I am delighted that farmers benefiting from the Government’s environmental land management schemes will benefit from an average 10% uplift this year - unlocking even more money for farmers in Shropshire and across the country. With a simplified application process and around 50 more options available to apply for, there is something for every farm - regardless of where it is and whether the land is owned or rented.“
Environment Secretary Steve Barclay said: “I urge farmers and land managers to join the thousands of others who are already receiving our backing for their hard work. By prioritising a profitable and sustainable food and farming sector we can keep the nation healthy and happy, support the rural economy, and make sure our amazing countryside thrives for generations to come.”
