Soil ‘at heart’ of post-Brexit farm support, says Eustice
© Nicholas and Sherry Lu Aldridge/FLPA/imageBROKER/REX/Shutterstock Protecting and enhancing soil health is expected to form the cornerstone of a flagship agri-environment scheme to support farmers post Brexit.
Defra minister George Eustice said the new type of scheme would be “at the heart” of the government’s agriculture policy to be introduced after the UK leaves the EU.
See also: Read our latest articles on soil health
Mr Eustice made the comments during a speech on Tuesday (14 November) to the Tenant Farmers Association annual conference at Stoneleigh Park, Warwickshire.
“If we get that right, I think a lot of other things take care of themselves,” he said. “If we improve the health and the fertility of our soils, you can improve water quality, you can help address issues such as climate change [and] you can reduce fertiliser use.”
‘Universal and simple’
Unlike Countryside Stewardship, the scheme would be “universal and simple”, so any farmer would be able to sign up to it, said Mr Eustice.
The goal was a scheme that genuinely recognised what farmers were doing for the environment and financially rewarded them for that, he added.
Mr Eustice said the government was keen to move away from the current support system which subsidised farmers on a arbitrary basis for the amount of land owned or farmed.
The government was also examining ways of properly incentivising farmers to undertake environmental measures, rather than simply compensating them for income lost, he said.
Productivity
A second strand of the government’s thinking was around trying to build a more profitable and vibrant agricultural sector, Mr Eustice told conference delegates.
This would focus on productivity and ensuring farmers received a fairer share of value from the supply chain – including by boosting research and development.
To achieve this, groups of farmers could be financially supported to come together in syndicates to undertake commercial work in plant genetics and breeding.
Grants could also be made available for farmers to reinvest and re-equip farms, while loans could encourage new entrants to the industry, said Mr Eustice.
Agriculture Bill could still be a year away
Farmers may have to wait a further year before government formally reveals the way it intends to provide stability for the agricultural sector as the UK leaves the EU.
Some of the ideas being worked up for future agricultural policy will be published in a paper early next year, said Defra minister George Eustice.
But much-anticipated legislative proposals for UK farmers post Brexit may not be presented to parliament until later in the summer or even next autumn.
The government’s planned Agriculture Bill aims to ensure farmers continue to be supported and the environment protected when the UK leaves the EU in March 2019.
It was widely expected that the bill would be presented to parliament in late spring or early summer 2018 following consultations with farm leaders and environmental groups.