UK Environment Agency Buried Report On Farmers Likely To Founder w/o EU-Based Support Payments

Government officials have buried an analysis of the financial prospects for some of the most vulnerable farmers in the UK after realising it was almost entirely bad news, the Guardian can reveal. The analysis was to have been part of an optimistic look at the financial situation for upland farmers, some of the poorest in the country, but minutes from meetings about the plans obtained through a freedom of information request have revealed concerns were raised about the negative findings.

Farming groups said it was “irresponsible” not to make the analysis public after FoI documents showed officials refused to publish it as ministers would not like it. Many upland farmers only remain financially viable because of the EU-derived basic payment scheme (BPS), a system that will be completely phased out by 2027.

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Post-Brexit farming payments schemes will be given to farmers who restore nature, but they are easier to access for those who own their land. Many upland farmers are commoners or tenants, and many of the most lucrative options under the BPS replacement, such as creating wildflower meadows, improving soil heath and reducing pesticide use, are geared towards lowland arable farms. This means upland farmers have feared losing BPS and being unable to make enough money under the new scheme to make ends meet.

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Julia Aglionby, a professor in practice at the University of Cumbria, chaired the Uplands Alliance, which represents hill farmers and upland land managers, while the pathways to success work with Defra was being undertaken. She said it was “irresponsible” to not publish the analysis. “It was both disappointing and irresponsible of Defra not to publish modelling and impact assessments of their new ELM [environmental land management] policies for hill farmers. This lack of transparency understandably makes this vulnerable group of farmers worried,” Aglionby said. “In the uplands there is a huge potential to deliver more for nature and climate adaptation while securing future livelihoods. Still over seven years since the Brexit referendum, Defra has not fully detailed their offer for the moors and commons. The promise of jam tomorrow is wearing thin.”

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https://www.theguardian.com/environment/2024/feb/20/defra-officials-buried-analysis-dire-financial-prospects-hill-farmers-brexit-faming-payments-scheme