Farmers in England set to benefit from green subsidy

Farmers in England are to be paid subsidies for sowing plants that bind the soil together under new plans from the government.

The Sustainable Farming Incentive will pay farmers for basic measures that are aimed at preventing precious topsoil being washed into rivers during heavy rainfall, said the BBC.

The new plan is part of the United Kingdom's environmental land management initiative that will replace European Union farm subsidies post-Brexit. The new support payments of 22 pounds ($29) per hectare will begin next year, and will replace the EU's Common Agricultural Policy, where farmers received funds proportional to the amount of land they owned.

The Guardian reported that George Eustice, the environment secretary, would announce the new payment initiative at a rural business conference in London on Thursday.

The paper noted that the subsidies, along with others in the pipeline for conservation measures, are set to reach 900 million pounds a year by the end of 2024.

The Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, known as DEFRA, which is responsible for improving and protecting the environment, has said the taxpayer-funded subsidies will initially be for farmers in England who currently get payments under the Basic Payment Scheme, or BPS.

The Times reported that conservation groups have attacked the plans, describing them as a "huge disappointment".

The Wildlife Trusts, National Trust, and the Royal Society for the Protection of Birds said in a statement: "The new scheme is at risk of recreating the status quo by funding basic good practice, and in some cases will not require any extra benefits for nature at all."

The paper said Eustice would emphasize that the initiative offered "market-based incentives to achieve the right outcome" and that soil health "is critical to improving both biodiversity, water quality and the production of a healthy crop". The trade publication Farmers Weekly said industry leaders are disappointed with the payments being offered.

Geoff Sansome, head of agriculture at Natural England, said farmers would expect "more to follow" and regard the subsidies as limited.

"DEFRA has walked the tightrope of trying to reward existing good practice, incentivizing marginal change and achieving administrative simplicity. In doing so, not everyone will consider it ambitious or rewarding enough," Sansome said.

Christopher Price, chief executive of the Rare Breeds Survival Trust, said the offer was "disappointing" and "not enough to make a difference to farm incomes… and address the climate and biodiversity challenges".

Hampshire farmer David Miller said: "Farmers waiting for a payment to replace BPS are going to be disappointed. But anything that gets people thinking more in a regenerative way about their soils has got to be good."