Food production and future of rural businesses at risk if farming schemes fail, new poll warns

But the CLA says the government’s Environmental Land Management (ELM) schemes are critical to their survival.

Progress has been made transitioning to the new schemes post-Brexit, but any delays in rollout, and failing to properly fund them with a healthy budget risks undermining confidence and stability and could lead to farms going bust, hitting sustainable food production and risking improvements to wildlife habitats, flood management and access to nature.

The poll found 80 per cent of respondents said they ‘strongly agreed’ or ‘agreed’ that payments through the Sustainable Farming Incentive (SFI) and Countryside Stewardship (CS) schemes are critical to ensure their businesses stay viable.

Just 8 per cent ‘strongly disagreed’ or ‘disagreed’.

Most want to play an active role in delivering environmental improvements – 85 per cent ‘strongly agreed’ or ‘agreed’ that they support the concept of using some agricultural land to protect and enhance wildlife and the environment.

Three-quarters of respondents said they are currently enrolled in SFI or CS schemes. Of those, income of between £10,000 and £30,000 a year to fund the delivery of a range of environmental outcomes was the most common bracket, with 35 per cent falling into this category.

The results come just before the Chancellor announces the new government’s first Budget. The farming budget of £2.4bn a year has not grown in a decade, despite spikes in inflation, major shifts in the importance of domestic food security in a changing world, and recognition of the scale of the environmental challenges. The CLA has been calling for the budget to be increased to £3.8bn a year in England.

CLA President Victoria Vyvyan said: “As this survey demonstrates, farmers are willing and able to feed the nation and improve the environment – but we can't do it on a shoestring budget.

"Without the right economic, regulatory and political conditions, farmers will be unable to deliver on the multitude of societal demands that ultimately fall on us, and the Treasury must put its money where its mouth is in the budget.

“The CLA believes that Environmental Land Management (ELM) schemes have the potential to lead the world in creating a sustainable agriculture and environment policy, and we support the direction of travel – but the budget must be right.

“With Basic Payment Scheme (BPS) payments disappearing, farming businesses must not face a financial cliff-edge. The new government says it wants to support farmers and boost Britain’s food security, and now is the time to back them.”

The CLA recently published a powerful rationale for increasing the agriculture budget to £3.8bn a year by 2027/28, to help the industry deliver more across ELM schemes, tree planting and food security.

It sets out funding requirements to take the sector through the remaining transition from direct payments into a new era of sustainable food production and diversifying of land use for nature and climate.

The full paper can be seen at https://media.cla.org.uk/documents/FINALb_CLA_Ag_budget_2025_2030_1.pdf