The Countryside Alliance worked with a cross-party group of MPs to help table an
amendment to an earlier Agriculture Bill to provide the Secretary of State with specific
powers to provide financial assistance for the purpose of “supporting upland landscapes
and communities” in England.
Our Briefing Note, which you can read in full below, highlights the following key points:
- Using the skills and experience of farmers is often the best way to improve
biodiversity and secure the future of our vital natural resources.
- If farming in upland, and other marginal areas, were to be abandoned because of
changes to support payments, there would be detrimental effects on the habitat in
these areas and the species they support.
- The conservation work of farmers is often supported by other forms of land
management, such as the work of grouse moor managers. More than 80 per cent of
English grouse moors fall within a National Park or Area of Outstanding Natural
Beauty and are popular for outdoor pursuits.
- England’s uplands have received £230 million per annum from the CAP at 2019
prices. As a minimum, this total needs to be guaranteed long term to secure the
future of upland farming. The transition from CAP to a new agricultural policy must
not be used to reduce the amount of funding to upland communities.
- The view from the sector is that much work remains to be done for Environmental
Land Management Schemes (ELMS) to be in a fit state for full implementation,
particularly where applied to upland farms