Farmers will be paid to look after soil on their land under a new incentive scheme to replace EU subsidies – but environmental charities have said it fails to protect nature and wildlife.
Bare, brown fields in England over the winter could be an image of the past if farmers take up the new incentive announced by Environment Secretary George Eustice today.
Under the Sustainable Farming Incentive, farmers in England will be paid to grow cover crops, such as autumn-sown crops and weedy stubble, on the fields they would usually leave bare over the winter before drilling seeds for the next growing season.
The new farming policy, the first part of three focused on the environment, will replace the EU farming subsidy that paid out more if you had more land, often benefiting landowners rather than farmers.
Farmers have generally welcomed the new environmental incentives, which aim to encourage biodiversity and prevent soil erosion, but there is concern those who earn a minimal profit will not be supported through the transition so could go out of business.
And leading wildlife charities The National Trust, the RSPB and the Wildlife Trusts said it showed a “shocking lack of ambition” and breaks Brexit promises to use farming subsidies to improve the natural world.
They said the new policy will not incentivise farmers to manage their land in more climate-friendly ways.
Announcing the policy at a farming conference on Thursday, Mr Eustice said: “It focuses on soil health because the health of our soils is critical to improving both biodiversity, water quality and the production of a healthy crop.
“We will pay a more generous payment rate than previous EU schemes. There will be fewer rules and more trust.
“We will never address the complex environmental challenges we have unless we incentivise changes across most of the…
Source : skynews
