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How the end of CS agreements is affecting NFFN farmers

England
Policy & Views
arable
Crops
Defra
Environmental Land Management scheme
Government
Livestock
policy

There is concern that positive work for nature and the environment built up through the scheme will be lost.#

The NFFN is currently campaigning for a one-year rollover agreement for farmers whose Countryside Stewardship (CS) schemes are coming to an end. 

With SFI closed until next year and the new CS Higher Tier operating on an invite-only basis, there is growing concern that farmers may be forced to step back from managing space for nature and instead intensify production to keep their farms profitable.

Here, three NFFN farmers share the choices they face at the end of their CS agreement, and what these could mean for their nature-friendly approach.

Anna Biesty - Deepdale Farm, Norfolk

“Our mid-tier CS agreement, which ends in December, has been vital in helping us repair our soil health and undo years of damage from intensive farming. Now, with nothing concrete in place, everything feels very uncertain.

“We are doing our best to prepare for the new Higher Tier, working with organisations such as Norfolk FWAG and the Norfolk Rivers Trust, but ultimately there’s no guarantee we’ll be invited. We’re also involved in a Landscape Recovery project that has been submitted to Defra, with a decision on whether to fund it or not expected in December.

“We always knew the next stage for our farm would involve less space for nature than during this period of effectively resting the land. But now we have to scale back more than we’d planned, to make way for crops that will provide an income. Our cultivated margins will have to go. Clover leys will stay, as they help build soil fertility, and we’ll keep environmental options in some awkward corners that are easier to leave. We’re not abandoning nature, but it definitely feels like a step backwards.

“If a rollover agreement is going to happen, the Government needs to act quickly. It might look like we have plenty of time, but we are already making decisions about next year’s crops, purchasing seed, and making plans to prepare the land appropriately.”

Martin Hole - Montague Farm, Sussex

“Our CS Higher Tier agreement runs out at the end of this year, and right now we’re just hoping we’ll be invited into the new scheme. This year I have definitely been panicking about what the future holds, because our whole farm is committed to stewardship and working with nature. At times, it has felt like we were going to be left up the creek without a paddle. The anxiety has been all the greater because, in my view, you need at least a year to make proper decisions about the future of a farm.

Even if we are accepted onto the invite-only Higher Tier, there will still be other farmers left out. That could mean valuable habitats being ploughed up, which is horrifying. You only have to look at the indicators for bird species and wider ecology in this country to see how desperate the situation is.

Martin Hole

“Even if we are accepted onto the invite-only Higher Tier, there will still be other farmers left out. That could mean valuable habitats being ploughed up, which is horrifying. You only have to look at the indicators for bird species and wider ecology in this country to see how desperate the situation is. Whatever we do on our farm won’t be enough for nature if agreements aren’t secured across farms nationwide.

“I believe CS has been a very successful scheme and has begun a cultural shift, opening the door for more farmers to adopt nature-friendly approaches. It has changed minds and we are seeing the results in the countryside. For me, as a livestock farmer, it has also helped us make the connections between nature and our herd and flock. It has proved to be a more resilient business model."

David Lord - Earls Hall Farm, Essex

“Our CS Mid Tier agreement, which ends in December, has allowed us to manage areas of our farm for nature with wild bird food, pollen- and nectar-rich mixes, buffer strips and hedgerow management. Some of these areas have been in agri-environment schemes since 2005, when the old ELS and HLS schemes were first introduced.

“We’re now facing the prospect of returning some of these areas to food production for the first time in two decades. If we simply left them, they would revert to scrub - and while that’s fine for wildlife, it’s not as valuable as properly managed floristic margins. However, maintaining these margins takes quite a lot of work, and without funding - especially with margins so tight - it’s hard to justify keeping them.

“After 20 years of steadily adding habitat and improving our farm for nature, the idea of losing ground and going backwards is very frustrating. It can take a good three or four years for margins to reach their full potential and deliver real benefits, so losing them would be a long-term setback. The Government really needs to announce some kind of rollover agreement now. Even if we knew there would be a gap of six months or so without payments, we could plan for that, but at the moment we’re completely left in the dark.”

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