Although Defra’s Agricultural Transition Plan 2021-2024 includes a wide range of schemes and grants, the key element of future agriculture policy in England will focus on Environmental Land Management. There will be 3 Environmental Land Management Schemes (ELMS), one of which will replace Countryside Stewardship in 2024, with the whole of ELMS replacing BPS from 2027.
The Sustainable Farming Incentive
This focuses on making agricultural activities more sustainable. It will pay for actions that all farmers can choose to take that can be taken at scale across the whole farmed landscape in order to have the most impact. This includes reducing inorganic fertiliser and pesticide use, taking care of our soils, and improving farmland biodiversity, water quality, air quality and carbon sequestration.
The Sustainable Farming Incentive starts in 2022 with 3 standards:
- Arable and Horticultural Soils
- Improved Grasslands Soils
- Moorland and Rough Grazing (introductory level)
Defra will also pay for an annual health and welfare review for livestock https://www.cxcs.co.uk/blog/annual-health-and-welfare-review-to-provide-free-vet-visits/
More standards will be introduced incrementally between 2023 and 2025, with the full range available from 2025 onwards.
Local Nature Recovery
This is the more ambitious successor to Countryside Stewardship. It will pay for the right things in the right places and support local collaboration to make space for nature in the farmed landscape. This scheme will particularly contribute to Defra’s targets for trees, peatland restoration, habitat creation and restoration and natural flood management.
During 2022, detailed scheme information and test elements of the scheme will be published, building on the tests and trials done so far. In 2023, an early version of Local Nature Recovery will be made available to a limited number of people, with the scheme being gradually rolled out across England by the end of 2024.
Farmers in Countryside Stewardship and Environmental Stewardship schemes will be given help to make the transition to new schemes from 2024.
Landscape Recovery
This will pay landowners or managers who want to take a more radical and large-scale approach to producing environmental and climate outcomes, through land use change and habitat and ecosystem restoration.
Defra are planning to open applications for Landscape Recovery pilot projects in at least 2 rounds over the next 2 years. The application process for the first round of up to 15 Landscape Recovery pilot projects is due to launch soon.
Scheme Transition
While the new schemes are rolling out, existing schemes will continue to be available for some time, with the last applications for new Countryside Stewardship agreements in 2023, to start 1st January 2024. From 2025, it will only be possible to enter into new agreements through the new ELMS schemes.
All ELMS schemes will be voluntary, and it will be up to farmers to decide what the right combination of actions is for their particular setting. The schemes are designed to be accessible and supportive, with fair compensation, which should incentivise high levels of uptake.
