Farms in England could be taken out of food production to boost nature, says minister | Farming

Certain farms in England could be completely removed from food production under plans to make more space for nature, said the secretary of the environment.

Speaking at the Foundeswell Farming Festival in the Hertfordshire, Steve Reed said that a redesign of post-Brexit agriculture and a new land use plan would aim to increase food production in the most productive fields and to decrease it completely at least from productive. In reality, this means that many highlands farmers can be encouraged to stop agriculture.

He said that his land use framework “plans to withdraw some of the least productive land from food production, but to support more productive land to increase production”.

Reed said that it was so “you maintain the results, or even increase the results while increasing nature space. We have a limited amount of land in this country for the many requirements we make of it, for food production, for housing, for energy and for nature, and we must make sure that we use them optimally for all these results. ”

He said that the communities would be supported by the transition: “I grew up in the 1980s, and the Thatcher government in the time destroyed the industry in which my whole family worked, and nothing was put in place. So these communities were destroyed, and one of the reasons why I got involved in politics was to ensure that this cannot happen again.”

Reed also announced the reopening of a fund of 150 million pounds sterling that will pay farmers for actions such as forest fire prevention, the organization of educational visits and the storage of suspension in a respectful environment. From next year, farmers will also be paid as part of this program to dig ponds on their land to store water and help biodiversity.

Farmers are also faced with upheavals, because Reed has announced a overhaul of the agricultural program adapted to nature. This pays farmers to do things such as leaving borders of wild flowers for birds, plant hedges and reduce their use of pesticides.

The agricultural program adapted to nature was designed by the conservatives after Brexit: the objective was that rather than being paid by Acre, farmers should be paid to improve nature. During the expenditure examination, it was announced that the budget would be reduced on average by 100 million pounds sterling per year between this year and 2029.

Reed said the program would be “simplified”, adding: “We must firmly return to the principle of public money for public goods. Our reformed SFI [sustainable farming incentive] Will maximize the advantages of the environment, in particular around the quality of water and biodiversity, so that we can clean our polluted rivers, accommodate the fauna of farms and strengthen natural foundations which are vital for durable food production. We will simplify the SFI and help farmers take action packages, which, when carried out together, realize more for nature. »»

Farmers have felt in a hurry by Labor government policies in recent months, and there have been mass demonstrations concerning a new tax on successions introduced on agricultural land.

Defra was also recently forced to turn on after having suddenly closed sustainable agricultural incentive payments to those who were applying. After the farmers threatened a judicial examination, the ministers had to reopen the plans. There has also been a lack of support perceived on the impacts of extreme weather conditions, record droughts and floods that hit farmers in recent years.

This year, drought should reduce yields, and some arable farmers have said their harvest could be reduced to 50%. Breeding breeders are already afraid of missing herb to feed their herds.

Reed recognized these difficulties and said: “I think there were challenges along the way. I know very early on, the announcements that were made around the inheritance tax were difficult for the sector. I know.”