The president of the Country Land and Business Association (CLA), Mark Tufnell, has said that today’s announcement of two new schemes under the Environment Land Management (ELM) plan “marks an important point in the future development of England’s agriculture policy”.
“Both the Local Nature Recovery and Landscape Recovery schemes have the potential to be transformative and bring England closer towards the government’s environmental goals.”
Tufnell said that the schemes clearly indicate that the wants and needs of farmers and landowners have been heard by government.
But this is just the beginning of a highly ambitious and progressive plan. The real work now begins on delivering these schemes successfully.
“Most importantly, it is incumbent of government to ensure greater detail is shared on how this transition to the new schemes will be carried out.”
Unique farm types
“Land managers will need support to access these opportunities, and we must remember that individual businesses are at the heart of these changes,” he added.
“All are unique in terms of farm type, location, size, and management technique.
“Businesses more reliant on farming will be more at risk, and not all businesses have the same opportunities for ELM or diversification.
“Tailored advice that is accessible to all recipients is required to ensure that the transition does not have unintended consequences and result in viable operations going out of business.
These schemes are by no means a silver bullet. The government must also ensure that policy changes look towards domestic food production and security.
“Britain is already at the forefront of agricultural innovation and animal welfare standards, and we must do more to ensure our great produce is supported here and abroad.
“We need to ensure that profitable agriculture remains a core part of the rural economy and feeds the nation sustainably.
“Landowners must be at the heart of green transition policy-making decisions. 2022 will be a crucial year, and the CLA will continue to work with Defra to ensure the ambition set out in this week’s announcement is deliverable by farmers and land managers on the ground.”
