PARLIAMENTARY WRITTEN QUESTION
Agriculture: Subsidies (1 May 2018)

The Government understands the importance of providing stability to farmers as we leave the European Union and has pledged to continue to commit the same cash total in funds for farm support for the duration of this Parliament, providing much needed certainty to farmers and landowners.

In our consultation document ‘Health and Harmony’, we have provided a clear direction for future farm support in England based on public money for public goods – principally, environmental enhancement. We sought views on how future land management schemes can reflect the reality of life for farmers and food producers. As part of this, we invited ideas on what areas could constitute public goods and be supported under the new system, including rural resilience.

Farmers need stability, certainty and a smooth transition to a new system, so we will not switch off Direct Payments overnight, and are consulting on an agricultural transition period to provide time for farmers to adjust. We have also confirmed we will pay the 2019 Basic Payment Scheme on the same basis as we do now. This, together with our proposed ‘agricultural transition’ period away from the current system of Direct Payments in England, will provide time for farmers to adjust.

Some sectors may find it more difficult than others to adapt to the phasing out of Direct Payments, for example, those located in the most remote, wild and beautiful parts of England. The uplands have the potential to benefit from new environmental land management schemes, given the nature of their landscapes and the many public goods that they deliver, such as biodiversity, flood risk mitigation and carbon sequestration. We will explore possible options on how we can best support such areas.