Statement from Therese:
As Environment Secretary, I recently published our detailed plans to support farmers and rural communities. We are moving away from the bureaucratic Common Agricultural Policy which did nothing for farming or the environment, to deliver a new system that rewards our farmers for their role as environmental stewards. My department has listened to feedback from the nation’s farming sector and co-designed this system in partnership with them.
There’s something for everyone in our schemes and grants and we have made them much more straightforward, flexible and workable for farmers. Making the shift towards a more sustainable, resilient food system is critical to feeding a growing population and to meeting our world-leading commitments to halt the decline of nature by 2030 and reach net zero by 2050.
As part of this we have published details of six new Sustainable Farming Incentive standards which will be available this summer. We know that farmers need clarity and certainty to allow them to plan ahead. That’s why we’re going much further and faster in rolling out the Sustainable Farming Incentive in 2023 than we originally intended and bringing forward three more standards than originally planned.
Farmers can receive payment for actions on hedgerows, grassland, arable and horticultural land, pest management and nutrient management. They build on the three existing standards to improve soil health and moorlands introduced last year.
I know that no one farm is the same as another. This is why there is a range of grant offers that farmers can apply for to choose what best fits their business.
More information is available here - https://bit.ly/3I7oy5t
All farmers can also receive free business advice to help them adapt to these changes. Details here - https://bit.ly/3YjCv79
