Environmental Land Management and the agricultural transition

Environment, Food and Rural Affairs Committee Closed Inquiry
Opened: 4 Dec 2020 Closed: 18 Mar 2022 Parliament page
The Environmental Land Management (ELM) scheme is the centrepiece of the Government’s new approach to farm support, as well as being key to delivering its environmental ambitions. Over the period 2021-27, the new scheme will be piloted and then fully introduced, while EU-style direct payments will be phased out. Ahead … Read more
17 Recommendations
2 Conclusions
1 Report
4 Oral sessions
1 Letter
4 Events
Activity timeline 7 events
20 Jan
2022
Report published
28 Oct
2021
Report published
22 Sep
2021
Correspondence
20 Jul
2021
Oral evidence
22 Jun
2021
Oral evidence
25 May
2021
Oral evidence
11 May
2021
Oral evidence
Oral evidence sessions 4 sessions
20 Jul 2021
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Environment, Food and Rural Affairs Committee
Janet Hughes · Department for Environment Food and Rural Affairs Paul Caldwell · Rural Payments Agency Rob Cooke · Natural England Rt Hon George Eustice · Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs Tony Juniper · Natural England
22 Jun 2021
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Environment, Food and Rural Affairs Committee
Alice Groom · Royal Society for the Protection of Birds Dr Janet Dwyer · Countryside and Community Research Institute Dr Ruth Little · University of Sheffield James Adler · The Wildlife Trusts Professor Rosie Hails · National Trust
25 May 2021
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Environment, Food and Rural Affairs Committee
Caroline Drummond · Linking Environment And Farming (LEAF) Ian Davis · Farming Forum Grassroots Group Jenny Phelps · Farming and Wildlife Advisory Group South West Mr Jeremy Moody · Central Association of Agricultural Valuers Mr Martin Lines · Nature Friendly Farming Network Vicki Hird · The Wildlife Trust and former Head of Sustainable Farming, Sustain
11 May 2021
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Environment, Food and Rural Affairs Committee
Dr Julia Aglionby · Foundation for Common Land George Dunn · Tenants Farmers Association Mark Bridgeman · Country Land and Business Association Neil Shand · National Beef Association Phil Stocker · National Sheep Association Tom Bradshaw · National Farmers' Union (NFU)
Recommendations & Conclusions
19 results
1 Conclusion
Second Report - Environmental Land…
The scale of environmental, social and economic change facing English farming cannot be understated.
The scale of environmental, social and economic change facing English farming cannot be understated. This includes the global challenge of climate change and the need to operate in new trading conditions, but it also includes the Government’s decision to fundamentally … Read more
Department for Environment Food and Rural Affairs
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2 Recommendation
Second Report - Environmental Land…
Considerable uncertainty remains about how the 7-year agricultural transition will affect English farming.
Considerable uncertainty remains about how the 7-year agricultural transition will affect English farming. As direct payments are withdrawn, there is a risk that farmers will resort to less environmentally sustainable methods to make up for lost income, leave the sector … Read more
Department for Environment Food and Rural Affairs
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3 Recommendation
Second Report - Environmental Land…
Defra has put insufficient emphasis and care into managing the process of transition itself, and...
Defra has put insufficient emphasis and care into managing the process of transition itself, and there is a risk that this will be a haphazard process leading to unintended consequences. Ministers’ absolute determination to press ahead with the timescale for … Read more
Department for Environment Food and Rural Affairs
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4 Conclusion
Second Report - Environmental Land…
The Committee commends Defra’s commitment to co-designing the agricultural transition, and appreciates the challenges involved.
The Committee commends Defra’s commitment to co-designing the agricultural transition, and appreciates the challenges involved. However, there appears to be a disconnect in the co-design process between listening to stakeholders and being seen Environmental Land Management and the agricultural transition … Read more
Department for Environment Food and Rural Affairs
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5 Recommendation
Second Report - Environmental Land…
We are pleased that Defra’s engagement has improved over the last year, but delays in...
We are pleased that Defra’s engagement has improved over the last year, but delays in communication due to delays in policy development have already impacted farmers’ ability to plan for the significant changes ahead. Defra itself cannot directly reach every … Read more
Department for Environment Food and Rural Affairs
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6 Recommendation
Second Report - Environmental Land…
We are concerned that Defra is already in the process of delivering its multi-billion pound...
We are concerned that Defra is already in the process of delivering its multi-billion pound ELM programme, representing the biggest change to farming policy in decades and a central delivery mechanism for the Government’s environmental goals, without having published any … Read more
Department for Environment Food and Rural Affairs
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7 Recommendation
Second Report - Environmental Land…
The Government has been clear that the success of ELM is critical to meeting its...
The Government has been clear that the success of ELM is critical to meeting its environmental ambitions, but this will require huge uptake of the scheme and the funding to ensure that. If farmers are to enter into multi-year agreements … Read more
Department for Environment Food and Rural Affairs
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8 Recommendation
Second Report - Environmental Land…
A substantial proportion of farmed land in England is tenanted, and common land accounts for...
A substantial proportion of farmed land in England is tenanted, and common land accounts for a significant percentage of land delivering important public goods such as biodiversity and public access. It is important that the particular needs of 42 Environmental … Read more
Department for Environment Food and Rural Affairs
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9 Recommendation
Second Report - Environmental Land…
Upland livestock farmers have often been among the most dependent on direct payments, but there...
Upland livestock farmers have often been among the most dependent on direct payments, but there is also evidence that existing agri-environment schemes have reduced income stability for upland livestock farmers in less favoured areas. Those farming the uplands, and tenanted … Read more
Department for Environment Food and Rural Affairs
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10 Recommendation
Second Report - Environmental Land…
It is important that ELM supports the delivery of a full range of public goods.
It is important that ELM supports the delivery of a full range of public goods. Biodiversity and net zero are crucial objectives, but Defra should not lose sight of the invaluable role that farmers and land managers can also play … Read more
Department for Environment Food and Rural Affairs
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11 Recommendation
Second Report - Environmental Land…
It is important that the Sustainable Farming Incentive does not repeat the failures of previous...
It is important that the Sustainable Farming Incentive does not repeat the failures of previous agri-environment schemes like Entry Level Stewardship, which achieved high uptake but failed to drive significant environmental delivery. It must also not create perverse incentives or … Read more
Department for Environment Food and Rural Affairs
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12 Recommendation
Second Report - Environmental Land…
A degree of simplicity may be necessary in order to achieve high SFI uptake, and...
A degree of simplicity may be necessary in order to achieve high SFI uptake, and we acknowledge that an approach based on specific actions and parcels of land will work for many farmers. However, Defra should not miss opportunities to … Read more
Department for Environment Food and Rural Affairs
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13 Recommendation
Second Report - Environmental Land…
We share the concerns of many that the existing approach to calculating payments based on...
We share the concerns of many that the existing approach to calculating payments based on “income foregone” will be unattractive to farmers and ineffective for the environment. Payments for environmental actions need to fairly and fully represent Environmental Land Management … Read more
Department for Environment Food and Rural Affairs
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14 Recommendation
Second Report - Environmental Land…
We acknowledge that Defra has announced higher payment rates for the SFI in 2022, but...
We acknowledge that Defra has announced higher payment rates for the SFI in 2022, but farmers still lack the full details on payment rates across ELM that would enable them to start planning now. We also welcome Defra publishing new … Read more
Department for Environment Food and Rural Affairs
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15 Recommendation
Second Report - Environmental Land…
High quality advice, which is appropriate to the individual farm and takes into account the...
High quality advice, which is appropriate to the individual farm and takes into account the specific local conditions, is essential if farmers are to be productive and deliver environmental benefits. We acknowledge Defra’s intention that the Sustainable Farming Incentive should … Read more
Department for Environment Food and Rural Affairs
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16 Recommendation
Second Report - Environmental Land…
Evidence suggests that some farmers currently do not pay for environmental advice because it is...
Evidence suggests that some farmers currently do not pay for environmental advice because it is not deemed commercially relevant to them. As the focus of farm payments moves to public goods, it is important that these farmers are supported to … Read more
Department for Environment Food and Rural Affairs
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17 Recommendation
Second Report - Environmental Land…
ELM must be accessible and avoid the bureaucratic barriers to entry and punitive regulations which...
ELM must be accessible and avoid the bureaucratic barriers to entry and punitive regulations which plagued previous agri-environment schemes. We welcome Defra’s commitment to improving their approach to regulation and enforcement, but emphasise the importance of delivering on these promises … Read more
Department for Environment Food and Rural Affairs
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18 Recommendation
Second Report - Environmental Land…
Past experience has shown the potential for failures in digital delivery to do real damage...
Past experience has shown the potential for failures in digital delivery to do real damage to farmers’ trust in Government. We recognise that Defra has decided to initially use a simplified version of existing systems rather than attempting to build … Read more
Department for Environment Food and Rural Affairs
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19 Recommendation
Second Report - Environmental Land…
We note that we are nearing the end of the first year of a seven-year...
We note that we are nearing the end of the first year of a seven-year agricultural transition, and Defra does not yet appear to have made key decisions about which bodies will be responsible for delivering the biggest change to … Read more
Department for Environment Food and Rural Affairs
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Correspondence 1 letter
22 Sep 2021 Correspondence from the Secretary of State to the Chair regarding Biodigesters, September 2021
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