Over 50 farming and environmental organisations have called on the chancellor, Rachel Reeves, not to cut funding to the Department of Environment, Food and Rural Affairs (Defra) and other wildlife groups.
Ahead of the Spring Statement today (Wednesday, March 26) the National Farmers Union (NFU) has said it is concerned that the chancellor will either raise taxes, or impose budget cuts.
The NFU believes this could see further cuts within Defra, which will need to be found from existing programmes, putting agricultural spending at risk.
This follows the announcement earlier this month that the sustainable farming incentive (SFI) would no longer be open to new applications, a move that caused outrage amongst farmers and politicians.
Defra said the budget had been allocated and the scheme would be reviewed in the Summer Spending Review.
NFU president, Tom Bradshaw, said: ““Any cuts to the agriculture budget will make it impossible for government to deliver its commitments to support a sustainable, productive farming sector.”
The NFU said it has joined organisations including the Wildlife and Countryside Link (WCL), the Royal Society for the Protection of Birds (RSPB), and the National Trust to their voice concerns.
The WLC said environmentalists and farmers are united in their belief that any cuts to the farming budget from the spring statement would massively hamper the government’s ability to meet its legally binding climate targets.
Richard Benwell, CEO of Wildlife and Countryside Link, said: “Defra is among the smallest, poorest Departments in Government, but it faces the biggest challenges
“Budget cuts would hurt struggling farming families, scupper climate action and cause further damage to polluted rivers, damaged hedgerows, farmland birds, and pollinators.”
The NFU has called for an annual agricultural budget for England of around £4 billion which it says is needed to deliver the government’s goals, it estimates this would translate to a UK-wide budget of around £5.6 billion.
Hilary McGrady, director-general at the National Trust said: “Investing in nature-friendly farming is not a nice to do – it’s essential to underpin food security and economic growth.
“While a short-term cut may seem to help the country’s finances it will only deepen the spending blackhole in future and lead to crucial nature and climate targets being missed along the way.”
