Farmers will receive new payments for improving and conserving soil and grasslands from 2022, the UK Government has confirmed.
However green groups have voiced disappointment that the scheme falls short of what is needed.
The UK’s post-Brexit Agriculture Bill was introduced in 2020, which included measures to prevent farmers from being financially incentivised to over-produce at the expense of the environment.
These new measures will replace the EU’s Common Agricultural Policy subsidies before Brexit.
Environment Secretary George Eustice said the Basic Payment Scheme will annually pay farmers £22-£40 per hectare for conserving and restoring arable and horticultural soils; £28-£58 per hectare for conserving grassland soils and £148 per year moorland and rough grazing land.
Farmers have expressed concern over the changes and say their basic payments will be reduced between 5 per cent and 25 per cent from 2022.
The National Trust’s director-general Hilary McGrady backed the farmers concerns and added: “Farmers need a clear path to a future where nature is at the heart of sustainable and secure food production, not the short diversion this new scheme creates.”
LSL News.