Value for Money
The Farming and Countryside Programme
Published 23 July 2024
7 recommendations
Department for Environment, Food & Rural Affairs
Energy and environmentFood and farmingRural and countryside
nao.org.uk
The Farming and Countryside Programme aims to reform English farming. The stakes are high for food production, farm viability and the environment.
Recommendations (7)
Source: NAO Recommendations Tracker
Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs
Rec 1
Accepted
Work in Progress
Defra should:
a ensure that the full Programme business case for Phase 3 of the Programme, currently in preparation, includes a comprehensive and realistic assessment of the funding needed to meet all the Programme?s objectives;
Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs
Rec 2
Accepted
Work in Progress
b use the full Programme business case for Phase 3 of the Programme to provide a clearer indication of the Programme?s overall direction, for example, by identifying the expected balance between SFI and more complex schemes to deliver its environmental and other objectives;
Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs
Rec 3
Partially Accepted
Implemented
c complete work to strengthen the Programme?s set of environmental objectives, particularly ensuring there is an outcome-based objective for species abundance by March 2025 and a quantified objective for the reduction in pesticide use;
Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs
Rec 4
Accepted
Implemented
d ensure continuing developments to the Programme?s digital and data infrastructure comply with Defra?s corporate digital and data principles and reduce reliance on legacy systems as soon as possible;
Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs
Rec 5
Accepted
Work in Progress
e develop a comprehensive and unified package of advice for farmers that will best support them in making the changes needed and help them to progress towards activity that delivers greater environmental benefit;
Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs
Rec 6
Accepted
Implemented
f use available feedback channels to explore in more depth farmers? capacity for, and response to, continuing change going forward and how it will affect trust and levels of engagement
Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs
Rec 7
Accepted
Implemented
g increase the level of transparency to stakeholders particularly in areas such as: farm viability modelling; land-use change modelling; and its plans to increase the regulatory baseline and stop payments as actions become standard industry practice. In particular, the analysis relating to land-use change and the impact on food production should be put in the public domain as soon as possible to allow both parliamentary and public scrutiny.