Subsidies bring more stability – they are not money for nothing
Angela Sargent on the details of the Government’s new Sustainable Farming Incentive, which replaces the Basic Payments Scheme
WE have seen some more details from the Government on what is contained within the Sustainable Farming Incentive – the replacement for BPS which reduces from this year with the intention of being phased out.
The SFI is an environmental land management scheme, open to all recipients of BPS and who farm more than five hectares and there are three standards to choose from – arable soils, grassland soils and moorland, with three levels within each and payments for methods/testing etc used.
The whole idea is to pay farmers to produce ‘public goods’ and boost biodiversity alongside improved animal welfare, while still producing food. Indeed, a worthwhile idea.
Policymakers have taken on board some of the farming concerns and included, for example, more flexibility so that tenant farmers can take advantage.
But with added rules and regulation comes more cost, whatever industry you are in.
What do visitors to our county expect to see when they look out of their window? What do we, as farmers, expect, and what consequential changes could happen further down the line?
Does it matter if we produce less food? No one needs to be hungry in this day and age.
The Government believes in the free market and open trade and so if farmers can make more money (and why should they not – everyone else wants the best income
they can get) from farming without the restriction and payment rates and be more dependent on their market (and demand) why would they sign up?
We are already seeing younger farmers who aren’t frightened to farm without ‘subsidy’ or who are willing to try if schemes are too complex/restrictive. If you can produce an income of £22 plus per hectare in a particular way, why would you want to work harder for the same amount?
One reason farmers might sign up is to mitigate against fluctuation of market price – a big problem for farming forward planning – and it being a three-year contract is useful.
Some might say ‘greedy farmers’ but payments are not money for nothing – we have one of the safest, highest welfare, most sustainable of agricultural industries and are willing and want to do more, BUT we want and need a fair rate for us to be able to do that, just like other industries.