MANY BRITSH POTATO GROWERS ARE ENTHUSIASTIC ABOUT LAND MANAGEMENT SCHEME BUT NEED SOLID FINANCIAL COMMITMENT IN BUDGET, SAYS C.L.A
A NUMBER of British potato growers have taken part in a survey carried out by the Country Land and Business Association (CLA) in the lead-up to the national Budget, which revealed how they want to feed the nation and deliver for nature, but see the government’s Environmental Land Management (ELM) schemes being critical to their survival.
Progress has been made transitioning to the new schemes post-Brexit, with most growers being ‘willing and able’ according to CLA President Victoria Vyvyan.
Richard Solari, a potato grower in Shropshire who took part in the survey, said: “We have some awkward-shaped fields, some with steep banks, which haven’t been the most productive over the years. With the various options available to us within Countryside Stewardship we have been able to benefit the environment in these areas. Ahead of establishing our potato crop within the eight-year rotation, we’re finding the two-year legume and clover leys very beneficial for improving both soil structure and fertility.”
Victoria Vyvyan said the Environmental Land Management (ELM) schemes have the potential to lead the world in “creating a sustainable agriculture and environment policy” and said the survey revealed that most growers are enthusiastic about the schemes.
However, delays in rollout, and failing to properly fund them with a healthy budget, risks undermining confidence and stability and could lead to potato farms going bust, she added.
“Without the right economic, regulatory and political conditions, growers will be unable to deliver on the multitude of societal demands that ultimately fall on us, and the Treasury must put its money where its mouth is in the budget,” she said.
She added: “With Basic Payment Scheme (BPS) payments disappearing, farming businesses must not face a financial cliff-edge. The new government says it wants to support farmers and boost Britain’s food security, and now is the time to back them.”
The poll, which is based on responses from 250 farmers incorporating potato and other crops, found:
- 80% of respondents said they ‘strongly agreed’ or ‘agreed’ that payments through the Sustainable Farming Incentive (SFI) and Countryside Stewardship (CS) schemes are critical to ensure their businesses stay viable. Just 8% ‘strongly disagreed’ or ‘disagreed’.
- Most want to play an active role in delivering environmental improvements – 85% ‘strongly agreed’ or ‘agreed’ that they support the concept of using some agricultural land to protect and enhance wildlife and the environment.
- Three-quarters of respondents said they are currently enrolled in SFI or CS schemes. Of those, income of between £10,000 and £30,000 a year to fund the delivery of a range of environmental outcomes was the most common bracket, with 35% falling into this category.
The results come just before the Chancellor announces the new government’s first Budget. The farming budget of £2.4bn a year has not grown in a decade, despite spikes in inflation, major shifts in the importance of domestic food security in a changing world, and recognition of the scale of the environmental challenges. The CLA has been calling for the budget to be increased to £3.8bn a year in England.
It has called for the agriculture budget to be £3.8bn a year by 2027/28, to help the industry deliver more across ELM schemes, tree planting and food security. Its rationale paper, which can be viewed here, sets out funding requirements to take the sector through the remaining transition from direct payments into a new era of sustainable food production and diversifying of land use for nature and climate.
