Lincolnshire Farmers HLS refused permission to cultivate

chipchap

Member
Mixed Farmer
Location
South Shropshire
My HLS ended in 2016.
I had some wet grassland fields next to the river, that NE encouraged me to enter into “restoration of wet grassland for breeding waders”
These fields are now scheduled as wet grassland, although it doesn’t effect my current management for grazing our suckler herd.
I dare say if I wanted to plough them up there would be an almighty hoohah.

beware.
 

Ffermer Bach

Member
Livestock Farmer
NE are the most shocking organisation. They could give the Gestapo lessons!! Their contracts mean nothing. They are totally one sided and I wouldn't trust them at all.
If they lose all trust of their clients nobody is going to sign up with them. Even farmers who are environmentally sympathetic are not signing new agreements. Not sure where the NFU are in cases like this!
I remember thinking about Tir Gofal and thinking if I joined, and made fields low input natural pasture or whatever it is called, when I left the scheme I would need permission to farm them more intensively, I did not join and my fears proved groundless (however over the border in England my fears seem to have proved correct).
 

Lowland1

Member
Mixed Farmer
Well When you dance with the Devil.......
That's very true the land in question whilst not the best was fairly productive and when put into this scheme became waste land it didn't become some nature paradise it just turned into a nasty unloved area of rubbish something no one can be proud of neither NE or the farmers in this case who took their money.
 

Formatted

Member
Livestock Farmer
Got paid to promote wildlife, when payment stopped wanted to destroy the habitat he'd created. Think Natural England were in the right here.
 

Goweresque

Member
Location
North Wilts
Got paid to promote wildlife, when payment stopped wanted to destroy the habitat he'd created. Think Natural England were in the right here.

Well in that case they should have made that perfectly clear when people were signing up then. If the rule is that once you take the money for the period of the scheme your land is fixed in that use in perpetuity (rather like it is for trees) then that should be totally clear from day one. Not to pretend that people are signing a 10 year agreement, when in reality its for ever.
 

ajcc

Member
Livestock Farmer
NE rent the property right during a scheme if at the agreement end they stop paying any rent the farmer can surely not have lost the right to farming as he sees fit???
Anyone in any of these schemes is under a contract to manage under scheme rules but only during that scheme not forever without recompense. NE are trying it on and think they can act with impunity by offering internal white washed Defra appeals to their decisions.
This case looks to be one of very few too date that the SOS has ruled against NE. But it really is too little too late, they have largely lost industry confidence so much so that anyone doing anything with NE needs to watch their back.
 

steveR

Member
Mixed Farmer
Got paid to promote wildlife, when payment stopped wanted to destroy the habitat he'd created. Think Natural England were in the right here.

Cannot disagree more!

I am not familiar with the exact details of this case in question, but when my 10yr arable reversion finished, the best that NE could offer was around 1/4-1/3 of the payments we had been receiving, as it was not now deemed to be of enough importance, once the low input grassland had established. This was inspite of a large number of key species being present! My adviser wanted me to continue but realised the economics just did not stack up...

It was suggested that the income from grazing stock was adequate along with the meagre payment I would then receive. Not on that grassland it wasn't!!

Like others have said here, the plough was rolling the day after the scheme expired, and back to cereals it went. Interestingly, it is about to go into a Bumblebird mix...
 

steveR

Member
Mixed Farmer
NE rent the property right during a scheme if at the agreement end they stop paying any rent the farmer can surely not have lost the right to farming as he sees fit???
Anyone in any of these schemes is under a contract to manage under scheme rules but only during that scheme not forever without recompense. NE are trying it on and think they can act with impunity by offering internal white washed Defra appeals to their decisions.
This case looks to be one of very few too date that the SOS has ruled against NE. But it really is too little too late, they have largely lost industry confidence so much so that anyone doing anything with NE needs to watch their back.

I am wondering what will be happening with all the many miles of margins once ELS/HLS disappears??
 

SFI - What % were you taking out of production?

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    Votes: 3 1.6%
  • 75-100%

    Votes: 3 1.6%
  • 100% I’ve had enough of farming!

    Votes: 5 2.7%

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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