Plans for future greener farming
Further details have been unveiled of the new Environmental Land Management scheme which will replace direct payments and Countryside Stewardship.
The government’s flagship green farming scheme will start fully in 2025 and farmers and land managers are being invited to share their views on the plans for a greener future.
The ELM scheme will see farmers paid for work that enhances the environment, such as tree or hedge planting, river management to mitigate flooding, or creating habitats for wildlife. The system will not pay farmers for the total amount of land farmed but instead pay for "public goods" that benefit society, such as clean air and water.
The proposals include three "tiers" of entry to the scheme, enabling anyone from any farm or land type to participate at the right level.
Tier one will encourage farmers to adopt environmentally sustainable farming and forestry practices, while tier two will focus on delivering locally-targeted environmental outcomes. The third tier will pay for larger-scale, transformational projects, such as restoring peatland.
The current Countryside Stewardship offers funding for five years and we are urging farmers to apply now even if they haven’t got involved before as this will the stepping stone to the new system.
Vicky Price is a chartered surveyor at the Hereford office of Berrys
