30 years of environmental stewardship wasted

Beefsmith

Member
Actually 31 years since we entered 12% of our farm into the original Countrywide Stewardship scheme. That 12% remains out of production today but now in Mid Tier. It’s seen various name changes of the scheme over the years such as ELS, HLS, ESS, CS - I’ve lost count to be honest but it matters not. The point is that land hasn’t been used commercially for 31 years.

In 2023 when our current scheme ends it’s going to be ripped up and we will crop every square inch of it. The new ELMS scheme is just astonishingly poor and DEFRA must think we’re all stupid if they think it’ll be adopted on mass. Our only option is to farm everything and farm it hard to push output in the hope it’ll go towards the loss of BPS.

The new ELMS schemes have been designed to end farming in this country. Our government is actively shutting us down through the removal of income that subsidised food production. They know it’ll hurt 80% of farms and their plan is to import food. The pandemic has taught them nothing.

It’s a sad state of affairs when 31 years of environmental good is ended due to poor government thinking.
 

Mixedupfarmer

Member
Location
Norfolk
Actually 31 years since we entered 12% of our farm into the original Countrywide Stewardship scheme. That 12% remains out of production today but now in Mid Tier. It’s seen various name changes of the scheme over the years such as ELS, HLS, ESS, CS - I’ve lost count to be honest but it matters not. The point is that land hasn’t been used commercially for 31 years.

In 2023 when our current scheme ends it’s going to be ripped up and we will crop every square inch of it. The new ELMS scheme is just astonishingly poor and DEFRA must think we’re all stupid if they think it’ll be adopted on mass. Our only option is to farm everything and farm it hard to push output in the hope it’ll go towards the loss of BPS.

The new ELMS schemes have been designed to end farming in this country. Our government is actively shutting us down through the removal of income that subsidised food production. They know it’ll hurt 80% of farms and their plan is to import food. The pandemic has taught them nothing.

It’s a sad state of affairs when 31 years of environmental good is ended due to poor government thinking.
Same here, but finished end 2021. All ploughed up and drilled with late wheat apart from a few of bits of shoot cover. Quite a relief to not be worried about the chance of an inspection and the possibility of getting penalties going back years. The payment levels without BPS are totally inadequate on a rented farm. At least we have the chance to make the shortfall up by cropping it all, rather than locking in to no profit and no flexibility with a new agreement, plus we can sell grain etc when we wish rather than guess which year the environmental payments turn up in.
 

Kidds

Member
Horticulture
I am sure the OP will farm and keep land in an environmentally friendly manner anyway, simply because it is his empire of dirt and he wants to look after it. And who better than the bloke who knows and owns it? Food production with the benefit of environmental value- just like grandad and his grandad did for decades before.
Never claimed for any environmental schemes but I am very proud of what we did off our own backs, and of the big increases in wildlife as a result.
 
Never claimed for any environmental schemes but I am very proud of what we did off our own backs, and of the big increases in wildlife as a result.

One chap I worked for years ago said the biggest thing they ever changed that really boosted the variety of wildlife on the place was introducing a small shoot. Hardly a day went by when you had to trundle up the drive because there would be a pheasant and her chicks running up it and the game strips were alive with everything you could think of.
 

Vader

Member
Mixed Farmer
One chap I worked for years ago said the biggest thing they ever changed that really boosted the variety of wildlife on the place was introducing a small shoot. Hardly a day went by when you had to trundle up the drive because there would be a pheasant and her chicks running up it and the game strips were alive with everything you could think of.
Plenty of data show that.
Feed and water all year round and various predators controlled.
Not rocket science to see why.
Just packham and rspb are anti shooting and so won't admit the truth.
 

Beefsmith

Member
why not continue with mid tier?

My understanding was mid tier won’t exist in 2023? This whole thing is so poorly communicated by Defra nobody knows what’s going on.

Irrelevant of that though if it’s still around we’ll be about £80/ac short due to BPS going. They need to put the base £80/ac BPS into ELMS and then add the option payments on top. I think they think these environmental measures don’t cost anything!

If they don’t they’ll be no uptake bar the likes of the RSPB.
 

Beefsmith

Member
I am sure the OP will farm and keep land in an environmentally friendly manner anyway, simply because it is his empire of dirt and he wants to look after it. And who better than the bloke who knows and owns it? Food production with the benefit of environmental value- just like grandad and his grandad did for decades before.

We won’t break any laws no but we won’t be supplementary feeding for instance. At current wheat prices that’s cost us £1500 this year. We won’t be doing anything as found in the current mid tier. It’ll all be gone.
 

BenAdamsAgri

Member
BASE UK Member
Location
Oxfordshire
My understanding was mid tier won’t exist in 2023? This whole thing is so poorly communicated by Defra nobody knows what’s going on.

Irrelevant of that though if it’s still around we’ll be about £80/ac short due to BPS going. They need to put the base £80/ac BPS into ELMS and then add the option payments on top. I think they think these environmental measures don’t cost anything!

If they don’t they’ll be no uptake bar the likes of the RSPB.
CSS is available to start from Jan 2023 and last last year to start from Jan 2024
 
How shockingly awful to have to run a business making profit from your own labours without free cash from the tax payer. My heart bleeds...

Problem is these environmental things cost a lot of money. The seed is ridiculously expensive and because the people setting the rules have zero idea about plants, these expensive mixes fail so you end your buying twice. If you don’t have the proper receipts then you fail an inspection and get fined. Without the BPS payment level sitting underneath the environmental payment it just doesn’t stack up.
 

unlacedgecko

Member
Livestock Farmer
Location
Fife
Problem is these environmental things cost a lot of money. The seed is ridiculously expensive and because the people setting the rules have zero idea about plants, these expensive mixes fail so you end your buying twice. If you don’t have the proper receipts then you fail an inspection and get fined. Without the BPS payment level sitting underneath the environmental payment it just doesn’t stack up.
Stop partaking in the environmental schemes then. It's not complex...
 

SFI - What % were you taking out of production?

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  • 100% I’ve had enough of farming!

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Red Tractor drops launch of green farming scheme amid anger from farmers

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As reported in Independent


quote: “Red Tractor has confirmed it is dropping plans to launch its green farming assurance standard in April“

read the TFF thread here: https://thefarmingforum.co.uk/index.php?threads/gfc-was-to-go-ahead-now-not-going-ahead.405234/
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