ELMs leaves upland famers worse off, NFU research shows

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The grassland only upland farms – those in HLS but without moorland – will increasingly lose income support through ongoing BPS reductions.

Based on current 2024 proposals from Defra, there will be very limited new SFI options they can access – and even then, these options will not make up this lost income.

Ultimately, the modelling found that those in agri-environment schemes had the smallest opportunity to replace lost BPS. This results in those already supporting the environment being penalised the most by domestic agricultural support changes.

Uplands farms are in a ‘precarious position’

NFU Uplands Chair Thomas Binns said: “It is incredibly disappointing that we find ourselves, after years of consultation with Defra, still with such a significant gap in the income of upland farmers.

“This is after we were told repeatedly that we would be recognised for the work we do, and that our businesses – so vital to the makeup of the countryside – wouldn’t be worse off in the transition from BPS.

“We have been encouraging Defra for some time to undertake its own modelling work to understand the impact of direct payment loss on upland incomes, but this has never materialised.

“Our modelling now shows the precarious position of these most treasured landscapes. What we need to see are options that reward the public goods we deliver and I look forward to continuing to discuss this modelling with Defra.”

David added: “We must remember that upland farms create and manage the landscapes found in much of the country’s most treasured areas, such as National Parks and Areas of Outstanding Natural Beauty, which delivers £1.7bn to local economies through tourism.

They are also part of the fabric of rural communities, saving homes from flooding, looking after miles of stone walls and hedges and producing nutritious and sustainable beef and lamb.”

The NFU is currently discussing these results with Defra and anticipates an SFI announcement with new options by the end of the year.

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