The UK government has announced changes to the payment rates for upland farmers in environmental land management schemes (ELMs).
These changes include making payment rates equal to lowland farms where farmers are carrying out the same actions – leading to increased rates for upland farmers in four Countryside Stewardship options.
The government also announced the reviewing and amending of a further seven Countryside Stewardship options with the aim of making them “more accessible to upland farmers”.
Finally, the government has said it is also improving engagement with the country’s upland farmers, with focused advice and support to help them access the amended schemes.
The government said the changes were made following feedback from farmers and industry representatives, and that it hopes to “support them as sustainable food producers and custodians of England’s most-loved landscapes for years to come”.
“Upland farmers play a vital role in keeping the nation fed while protecting the environment, and government is committed to making sure that their interests are protected and represented in the new faming schemes being delivered now that Britain has left the EU and is free from the bureaucratic Common Agricultural Policy,” the government said.
Upland farmers
Prime Minister Rishi Sunak said he wished to “pay tribute” to the country’s upland farmers, who “not only deliver some of our finest produce, but also act as the guardians of some of our country’s most iconic landscapes”.
“As we work to deliver a fairer, more sustainable farming system outside the EU, we are determined to make sure their interests are at the heart of these efforts.
“That’s why we’ve set out a range of new support to ensure that they feel the benefits of our new schemes for years to come.”
Secretary of State for Food and Farming, Thérèse Coffey, said the uplands are a hugely important part of the English landscape and heritage and its farmers are crucial for the rural economy.
“We’ve worked closely with upland farmers from day one, and they’ve told me personally what further support they need, so today we’re further responding to their feedback with increased payments, an improved offer and more engagement to ensure they are at the centre of our schemes,” she said.
The government said the changes will support the delivery of its pledge to ensure there is “something for every type of farmer” in the new schemes, as direct land-based payments are phased out.
Rewarding farmers for low inputs on grasslands in upland areas, which previously earned farmers £98/ha, will increase to £151 – the same payment farmers elsewhere receive, it said.
At the upper end of the scale, creation of upland wood pasture will increase from £333/ha to £544 to align payments for upland and lowland farmers.
Following feedback from farmers, there will also be improvements made to existing offers within Countryside Stewardship, the government said, with details to follow as part of the full 2024 offer in the summer.
