Shropshire Farming Talk - Farming crisis: Government pressures, low profits, and rising mental health strain

We already know that farming is tough and those who work the land are renowned for putting their businesses ahead of their own health, be that physical or mental.

Research from The Farm Safety Foundation shows that 95 per cent of young farmers (under 40) believe that mental health is the biggest hidden problem facing farmers today.

With this in mind, it is incomprehensible the amount of stress and anxiety being caused at this very moment, with the lack of warning, by the government’s recent announcements on SFI, inheritance tax (IHT), Agricultural Property Relief (APR) and Business Property Relief (BPR).

Farmers have been battling for years to build food security in the UK. Outside factors such as animal health, crop blight, changeable weather and wars across continents add to the pressures.

Then there is the fight for fair prices for their products from supermarkets, to the phasing out of the Basic Payment Scheme (BPS), which has then been replaced by Environmental Land Management Schemes (ELMS of which SFI is one), representing public money for public goods. Many have embraced this, but the government’s decision to now close SFI is actively harming nature and the environment.

In turn, it will hugely affect the rural economy at a time when growth and stability is required to enable farmers to continue to feed the nation, benefit the wider community and rebuild confidence.

Defra figures show that 50,000 farm businesses are managed under Environmental Land Management (ELM) schemes, with more than 37,000 multi-year live SFI agreements.

So, what has the government said? All existing SFI agreements will be paid to farmers, and outstanding eligible applications that have been submitted will also be taken forward. It has been confirmed that Environmental Land Management scheme agreements will remain in place, including SFI, and that it will launch a new and improved SFI focused on food production, creating more resilient farm businesses alongside supporting nature recovery.

The Country Land and Business Association intends to continue collaborating with Defra and politicians to address the challenges being faced by the farming community, and find ways to ease some of the impacts due to recent policy changes.