UK government has releases some details of post-Brexit subsidies for farmers

The UK government has released some details of its eagerly awaited post-Brexit farm subsidy scheme in England. Farming and environmental groups have broadly welcomed the new measures while pressing for greater clarity and a long-term vision.

Under the Environmental Land Management Schemes (ELMS), landowners and farmers will be paid public money for environmental and sustainable food production. Actions such as managing pests without chemicals and working towards net zero will be rewarded with funding.

Responding to the announcement, National Farmers’ Union vice president David Exwood said: “It’s encouraging that Defra has provided us with more detail on the future of the ELM programme and brought forward a broader, more flexible offer for the Sustainable Farming Incentive (SFI). Information on the six new standards for SFI 2023, payments rates, as well as the evolving Countryside Stewardship scheme, is incredibly useful and provides some of the clarity we have been asking for.”

In England, the ELMS will now comprise three payment schemes:

• The Sustainable Farming Incentive, which focuses on soil health and reducing the use of inputs such as fertilisers and insecticides.
• The Landscape Recovery Scheme, which will pay landowners for large-scale rewilding projects focusing on net zero, protected sites and habitat creation.
• The Countryside Stewardship Plus Scheme, which will reward farmers for action to support climate change adaptation and benefitting nature.