New environment scheme is a chance to start with a clean sheet
Alongside many other negotiations, the government is working on plans for a new Environmental Land Management system (ELMs), which it hopes will bring thousands of farmers back to agri-environmental schemes after a slump following the introduction of the revised Countryside Stewardship.
ELMs are an opportunity for the government to start with a clean sheet. But there are lessons that will need to be learned from the past if DEFRA is to convince farmers that things have changed.
Farmers are more willing to spend time and money on putting together an application knowing they’ll be offered a five-year agreement and a guaranteed income if they meet the eligibility criteria, rather than the uncertainty surrounding being scored. However, the government has recently announced that it is to extend its ‘payment by results’ trails, designed to reward farmers for delivering specific environmental outcomes.
This could liberate farmers from the restrictive management prescriptions of existing schemes and the offer of a more flexible scheme that delivers for the environment as part of a productive farm. However, there is concern that making payments conditional on the delivery of environmental results exposes them to increased risk as they are not entirely in control, as proved by this year’s weather.
In addition, payments by results might work unfairly against those starting from a higher base due to previous good land stewardship or those in a beneficial location. The matter of policing such management strategies may prove difficult especially in circumstances that aim to improve flexible commodities such as air quality.
The application process has not been the primary reason putting people off applying for the Countryside Stewardship Scheme – instead it is the complex management prescriptions. The government needs to streamline what is required from farmers in delivering their agreements. It is telling that the Mid-Tier scheme currently has a 333-page handbook – an indication of the level of bureaucracy.
Payment delays have also previously caused huge frustration and have been a real worry among agreement holders with some cases being two years in arrears. This has inevitably affected farmers’ willingness to take part.
The level of payments under any new scheme will be critical. Landowners will only engage with it if they feel they will be rewarded appropriately for their efforts, so payments will need to go beyond the current ‘income forgone’ calculation. Those thinking of enrolling must look at it much like an opportunity costs option due to a reduced agricultural activity.
We are at a crossroads. If the government can build on the positive aspects of previous schemes, we could be at the start of a new era of agri-environmental schemes. This would be good news for farmers and for the environment.
George Dickin, Land Management (Shrewsbury), Strutt & Parker
