TFF's ELMS Questions time ?

[Steevo]

As @milkloss said above.

Will those of us maintaining existing miles of hedges and lots of trees be rewarded for that fact, or be reading about all the payments being made for replacing these features? Some were of course initially removed with grant aid, in the days when actual food production was considered important.

Are the government sure they are following the correct path now, given that (as above) previous government policy has been the exact opposite of current government policy?

How can farmers be sure that the government won't change their mind every 5 years?

Will the government actually take responsibility for their part in these schemes, rather than farmers carrying the can for following the government policy of the day? e.g. hedgerow removal from years back which is still used as ammunition against farmers today.

 

[ollie989898]

Will there be a cap on the maximum value of any monies paid to a holding under the scheme and if so, what is that cap?

What will be the minimum and maximum lengths of time land could be entered into the scheme for?

 

[two-cylinder]

Bearing in mind farmers need to keep ditches maintained to prevent flooding elsewhere, can ditch maintainance be included in Elms like it used to be in ELS?
A programme of managed ditch maintenance benefits both wildlife and flood prevention.

 

[Steevo]

What is the anticipated cost of delivering the scheme compared to the ELMS payment budget? i.e. how much will be lost in admin

Given the scheme sounds much more onerous than BPS in terms of application, following up, inspections etc, what are the government expecting the "cost per claim processed" to be?

 

[Phil P]

Seen as payments are supposed to be moving away from acreage based, doses that mean a small holding will be able to claim as much as a large holding? Or is it going to be another case of big money for the land Barron's again!

 

[primmiemoo]

1) In what way will consideration of new ELMS schemes be assessed so as to cause no negative impacts on long-established Stewardship schemes on neighbouring or near holdings? Large acreages of tree planting has impacts on the local hydrology, for example, that could upset requirements of these long-established areas, undoing years of careful work - to the detriment of flora and fauna within a productively farmed, food producing environment.

2) Will payments for Old Meadows and Pastures finally reflect income forgone as though these areas have been improved? A token for "rough grass" continues to be unacceptable in comparison with options available on fields that have been managed intensively.

3) Will timings for conservation of grasses and herbage from Old Meadows finally be brought to match local seasons, and permitted timings for effective grazing likewise? The present dates do not reflect needs in the South West.

4) (Working on it ... )

 

[Dan Powell]

Will there be payments for agroforestry e.g. silvopasture, alley cropping, riparian buffers etc?

Will payments be made on time?

Will there be payments for soil organic matter and will those payments reward good farmers who have already got decent organic matter levels or just those who improve their levels?

Will organic farming be recognised as it is in Mid Tier schemes?

Will there be any recognition that diverse pastures and grass leys are as good for carbon storage and biodiversity as woodland and that they produce food too?

How much will the administration costs be per agreement in terms of monitoring the outcomes achieved and how will you prevent money being wasted in this regard? There is a high probability that the bureaucracy of the scheme could swallow the entire budget and lead to a failure to achieve the desired outcomes.

What percentage of the budget will be spent on each tier of ELMS?

At what point will you worry about the ability of the UK to produce its own food if large numbers of farmers leave the industry due to lack of profitability or do you believe the market will provide for all eventualities?

Do you believe in the existence of family farms or would large scale agribusiness suit your ultra right-wing agenda better?

 

[ollie989898]

Is this TFF/Defra tie up going to be a regular thing so farmers and others get a real chance to discuss policy for once.

 

[nelly55]

Farmland is now seen as easy water storage on sides of rivers,could this affect the payments or payment adjusted for this usage lost of cropping.

 

[Pan mixer]

What proportion of the entire budget is going to be lost to farmers? Administration of the scheme, inspecting the 'outcomes' and so on?

How does Defra imagine that farmers can afford to enter this scheme with widely predicted cheaper imports of food, diminished income from the scaling back of the Single Farm Payment and the fact that everything that farmers enter 'to improve public good' has to be paid for by the farmer before any chance of recompense?

 

[Mixedupfarmer]

Could we have shorter payment windows which are legally binding and cannot be changed? (Particularly helpful for those of us who have to pay rent many months before payment)

 

[DRC]

How do you see farmers increasing production if large areas are taken out of production for environmental schemes,
And will the enhanced animal welfare requirements be applied to any food imported from other countries .

 

[Hampton]

Are farms that have always had many environmental features such as miles of hedges, woodlands and small field sizes going to see as much......if not more.... support than those that ripped out their hedges and farmed out environmental features will get paid to reinstate it

It should be a regional scheme that allows natural features (as you describe) to be rewarded rather than just accepted as “natural capital”

 

[Clive]

Is this TFF/Defra tie up going to be a regular thing so farmers and others get a real chance to discuss policy for once.

yes it is - there is a lot planned for the future

i think it’s great they are keen to engage directly with farmers in this way

let’s keep this thread on topic though please with those potential questions you want asking

 

[Michael S]

Will seeds regulations take precedence over ELMS? For example if an area of land adjacent to a seed crop contains a species the same as the seed crop will the relevant isolation width have to be removed from the ELMS area at the licensed seed crop inspectors say so? This is already causing problems with mid-tier area adjacent to seed crops where this issue hasn't been allowed for.

 

[fudge]

When will a detailed list of options available under ELMS be published?
Will there be a commitment to leave ELMS opened for a period of years or will farmers have to commit to the scheme in a relatively short “window”?

 

[Mixedupfarmer]

Assuming fencing for resource protection is an option, would it be possible to fund a replacement where an old fence which is no longer fit for purpose is/was, but where it was funded by a grant in the past, as it is not eligible under mid-tier etc at present?

 

[digger64]

What do you actually mean by enhanced animal welfare in relation to the present situation - could you give some practical examples for all the main species etc please ?

 

[digger64]

Is it intended that the public will get free access to visit or be able to view , inspect/evaluate their "goods" ?

 

[Farmer_Joe]

How are you going to ensure that ELMS ends up supporting tenant farming and not lining the pockets of landlords as the current BPS system allows?

It wont, the new scheme is generally from my understanding for land owners not farmers, its about making your land give what they want to people and the environment.

In that essence it will be good for big landowners with low inputs and greening etc and thats what the government wants and to be fair the public, i dont like it really but to be fair we are getting subsidised so have to 'deal with it'

there is some stuff about security of supply and maintaining std of imports to our own but dont get your hopes up...