Resilient and profitable farm businesses are the key to the prosperity of the nation’s most iconic landscapes, the NFU said today.
In its submission to a ‘call for evidence’ from the Efra Select Committee on the future of the uplands in England, the NFU has outlined why the uplands and the farmers who manage it are unable to achieve their ambitions or potential due to a lack of support and long-term thinking.
The NFU response highlights how government and stakeholders must work in partnership with upland farmers – many of whom are tenants – to unlock the immense potential of these landscapes and ensure that land management decisions reflect the practical and economic realities of these farming businesses.
Blockages to achieving ambitions
NFU Vice-president Robyn Munt said: “Upland farmers are the custodians of some of our most cherished landscapes, forming the backbone of rural communities, national livestock systems and delivering a wide range of public goods.
“These farmers have massive ambitions to produce sustainable, high-quality British food while actively restoring nature and boosting biodiversity.
"However, they are currently blocked from achieving this potential. For too long, our hill farmers have been held back by short-term, top-down policy implementation and a distinct lack of long-term funding certainty.
“The rapid decline in direct payments, uncertainty around the future of agri-environment schemes and the rising costs of fuel and fertiliser, mean the support simply does not match the scale of the environmental and food security delivery we ask of them.”
“Food production and environmental management must work hand-in-hand. In our submission, we highlight why government and its agencies must provide the policy frameworks that will help build resilience and profitability into these farming businesses and protect the landscapes they [upland farmers] manage.”
NFU Vice-president Robyn Munt
Support must match expectations
Almost one year on from the publication of its report – The Uplands: A vision for prosperity, stewardship and resilience – the NFU is reminding the government of how it, together with stakeholders, can work with upland farmers to secure their future and protect the landscapes they manage.
“Food production and environmental management must work hand-in-hand,” Robyn explained.
“In our submission, we highlight why government and its agencies must provide the policy frameworks that will help build resilience and profitability into these farming businesses and protect the landscapes they manage. This has to include ensuring that these farmers have access to fair and accessible funding through Environmental Land Management schemes.
“Upland farmers possess a strong appetite to do more for food security, climate mitigation, and nature recovery.
“If we value our hills, let’s provide the necessary support and investment needed in order to safeguard these family farming businesses for generations to come.”
NFU asks
Our key asks are as follows:
- The uplands’ role in UK livestock production must be safeguarded as part of a resilient food system. Government must deliver a long-term plan for farming and food production which recognises the value of the uplands’ stratified livestock sector to both domestic production and export markets.
- Upland farmers need a fair, accessible and stable ELMs offering. This must include improvements to the delivery of CSHT (Countryside Stewardship Higher Tier) and access to SFI and CSHT for common land.
- Defra must also set out a long-term plan for SFI and CSHT, and back this with sufficient long-term funding, to restore confidence in public goods provision for farmers.
- Many upland farmers are facing the expiry of their HLS (Higher Level Stewardship) agreements in 2027-2028. They must be able to transition into replacement schemes without facing a gap in funding.
- Upland farmers must be fully engaged in the ongoing development of ELMs, including any revisions to the SFI. Defra should re-establish the Uplands Task and Finish Group, and revisit its work thus far, to inform upland scheme design.
- Natural England must rebuild trust with farmers through sustained relationships, two-way communication and transparency. This should include an independent review of the evidence used by Natural England and Defra to shape decision making, as well as improved communication and co-operation with farmers at a local level.
