Shropshire MP voices concern at ‘counter-productive’ farm payment scheme
A Shropshire MP has voiced her concerns in a debate over new Sustainable Farm Incentive payments being rolled out to farmers across the country.
The new SFI scheme is a replacement for the old Basic Payment Scheme but there have been low take-up rates in Shropshire and criticism over a lack of focus on food production.
North Shropshire's Liberal Democrat MP, Helen Morgan, used a Westminster Hall debate tabled by Tim Farron the party's spokesperson for environment, food and rural affairs, to raise the issue that many farmers currently undertaking positive environmental work are ineligible for the scheme, often creating a financial incentive to scrap existing projects – the opposite of what the SFI aims to do.
She said: “One of the issues that farmers in my constituency have raised is that where they have existing schemes that have been put in place to help the environment, they're not eligible under the Sustainable Farm Incentive.
"So they're actually being incentivised to rip them out and do damage, undo good work that they've done and damage the environment.
“Does he agree with me that a tweak to that to recognise good work that's already been done would be welcome?”
Tim Farron, MP for Westmorland and Lonsdale, said: “My Honourable Friend makes a really good point. It's happening in her constituency; it's happening in mine. And accidentally, the Government is acting in a counter-productive way when it comes to the environment.”
