English farms could be taken out of food production to boost nature, says minister | Farming

The Minister of the Environment said that some farms in England can completely come out of food production under plans to provide a greater area of ​​nature.

Speaking at the GroumentsWell Agriculture Festival in Herfordshire, Steve Reed said Agriculture benefits after Britain’s exit from the European Union The new land use plan will aim to increase food production in the most productive areas, decrease or remove it in the least production. In fact, this means that many farmers in the highlands may be stimulated to stop the cultivation.

He said that the framework of his land use “is imagined that it takes some less productive lands of food production, but supports the most productive lands to increase production.”

This was so, “You maintain the outputs, or even increase the outputs while increasing the area of ​​nature. We have a limited amount of land in this country for many of the demands that we offer from them, in order to produce food, housing, and nature, and we need to make sure that we use them optimally for each of these growth.”

Highland farms, which were classified as land use “Analytical Attaché” As the least production, it is The most dependent on the subsidies Of all types of farms. Many of them will get out of work if their payments are cut or removed.

Agricultural payments are used to stimulate nature -friendly agriculture, and in some cases, farmers are pushed to remove lands from production, for example to use them as a wild flower promoter. This means that the land can be removed from food production, either by removing agricultural payments, in which case the farm is no longer able to work profitable, or by pushing the lands outside production and using them in land obedience or restoring peat lands instead.

Red told GroumentsWell that there would be no “coercion” under the land use framework, but it seems strange if it is [land use data] At least after that, it was not helped to inform the way in which the cultivation budgets were allocated. “

He said that societies will be supported by the transition: “It originated in the 1980s, and that the Titcher government at that time destroyed the industry in which my entire family worked, and nothing was put in place. Therefore, these societies were destroyed, and one of the reasons that led me to participate in politics was to ensure that this did not happen again.”

Reed has also announced the reopening of a 150 million pounds fund that is paid to farmers for procedures such as prevention of forest fires, hosting educational visits and storing mortar in an environmentally friendly manner. From next year, farmers will also be pushed under this plan to dig ponds on their lands to store water and help in biological diversity.

Farmers also face more disturbances, as Red announced a comprehensive reform of the nature -friendly planning plan. This causes farmers to do things like the borders of the wild flower of birds, and the cultivation of plants and reduce their use of insecticides.

Conservatives devoted to a friendly agricultural program after Britain’s exit from the European Union. The goal was that instead of paying each acre, farmers should be paid in exchange for improving nature. In the spending review, the budget reduction was announced at a rate of 100 million pounds annually between this year and 2029.

“We need to return firmly to the principle of public funds for public commodities. [sustainable farming incentive] It will increase the benefits of the environment, especially about water quality and biological diversity, so that we can clean our polluted rivers, welcome wildlife again to farms and enhance the natural foundations that are vital for sustainable food production. We will simplify SFI and support farmers to take packages of actions, which, when it is done together, achieve more for nature. “

Farmers felt pressure from the policies of the Labor Party government in recent months and there were mass protests on the inheritance tax that were presented on agricultural lands.

Defra was recently forced to reach U-Torn after suddenly closed sustainable agricultural incentives payments for those who were in the presentation. After the farmers threatened a judicial review, the ministers reopened the plans. There was also a noticeable shortage of support on the effects of harsh weather, as it has struck the standard drought and the floods of farmers in recent years.

This year, it is expected that the drought will reduce the yield, and some of the farmers who are righteous for cultivation have said that their harvest may be reduced by up to 50 %. Cattle farmers are already afraid to run out of the grass to feed their herds.

Red admitted with these difficulties and said: “I think there are challenges all the way. I know early, the ads that were issued about the inheritance tax were difficult for the sector. I know that.”