Make a donation

Help fund our work to amplify nature-friendly farming’s benefits to farmers and policymakers across the UK

Policy & Views

Read a variety of articles, including topical blogs, comment pieces on policy developments and updates on key moments in farming.

Campaigns

Catch up with our latest campaigns and find out more about our work.

Farm Practices

Explore information on many aspects of nature-friendly farm practices.

What is the NFFN?

Discover our mission, our vision and the challenge we meet.

Meet The Team

Meet the farmers in our regional steering groups and the staff team at our core

FAQs

Got a question about nature-friendly farming? We've got it covered here

Supporters

We're proud to work with many organisations who support our mission.
Resources

NFFN farmers host Defra delegation to discuss England agri-environment schemes

England
Policy & Views
Defra
Environmental Land Management scheme
Government
policy

The farming minister and a top civil servant visited nature-friendly farms in Cumbria for frank but constructive discussions about the agricultural transition and the need to support farmers.

NFFN farmers in Cumbria welcomed an important delegation from Westminster to discuss the importance of nature-friendly farming and providing suitable support for the agricultural transition.

Farming Minister Daniel Zeichner and Senior Defra Civil Servant Janet Hughes visited NFFN England Steering Group Chair James Robinson at his organic dairy farm at Strickley. They also went to see NFFN Farming Champion Sam Beaumont at his Ullswater mixed farming operation.

The visits come at a time of profound change for farming in England, as the Environment Land Management (ELM) schemes are replacing the previous systems of area-based payments and an emphasis on yields with a new approach centred on environmental outcomes and the concept of “public money for public goods”.

Mr Zeichner and Ms Hughes engaged in frank and constructive discussions. The NFFN took the opportunity to outline the pros and cons of the current setup and advocate for ambitious policies at a scale that recognise the interconnected nature of food security, production, and the restoration of nature and biodiversity.

During a farm walk, James showed his visitors how he has been farming with nature for more than 30 years, starting with hedgerow management incentives introduced in the early 1990s.

He showed the minister and Ms Hughes how his farming system has developed to use the government support available. He explained how he enrolled land in the mid and higher-tier levels of Countryside Stewardship (CS) and selected options from the Sustainable Farming Incentive (SFI), including herbal lays, hedgerow management, low-input grassland and legume growing.

I find using these schemes challenging at times so I can’t imagine what it must be like for people who haven’t done nature-friendly farming before or who don’t have a more tech-savvy younger generation to help them.

James Robinson

He also highlighted some impressive work he has accomplished for nature, including re-wiggling a beck to slow the flow of water and installing solar-powered pumps for water troughs to prevent his cattle from damaging watercourses. Notably, this work was done without government support.

James expressed concerns that the schemes for England are time consuming and complex, particularly if you are new to nature-friendly farming and do not have experience or connections in regenerative agriculture.

“We need to change the language we are using to discuss these schemes,” he said. “Too much of it means absolutely nothing to people who haven’t been down this route before, and it must be incredibly off-putting. 

“I find using these schemes challenging at times so I can’t imagine what it must be like for people who haven’t done nature-friendly farming before or who don’t have a more tech-savvy younger generation to help them.”

Other issues raised included the situation of the farmers still in the old Higher Level Stewardship (HLS) scheme. James expressed concern that farmers who are enthusiastic and knowledgeable enough to contribute a lot more to nature remain locked into HLS, and the timescale to transition them into a more up-to-date and suitable scheme is too lengthy.

The visit to Strickley also touched on a number of sensitive and difficult issues, including handling TB outbreaks in cattle (with James sharing his recent personal experiences of the disease at Strickley) and the state of mental health among the farming community.

“We absolutely need this transition to nature-friendly farming, but we cannot ignore the strain farmers are under and the current state of mental health, particularly in marginal livestock-farming areas,” he said.

“Some farmers are ready for this transition and have been doing this for a long time, but some are not. We need to be supporting those who aren’t ready, because it is a big change in our industry.”

James suggested that the financial support available for farms to host visits and events could be expanded. He believes that peer-to-peer learning is crucial, as it allows farmers who are not yet fully committed to transitioning to nature-friendly practices to see successful examples in action by visiting those who are currently leading the way. 

At Gowbarrow Hall Farm, run by NFFN Farming Champion Sam and his wife Claire, the Defra delegation discussed the Farming in Protected Landscapes (FIPL) scheme. Sam praised how this scheme enables the creation of bespoke projects, overseen by local bodies with in-depth knowledge of the area’s landscapes.

Mr Zeichner and Ms Hughes observed how the Beaumonts, inspired by Maria Benjamin and John Atkinson (who founded Lake District Tweed, and also attended the meeting), started creating leather products from their hides. They have entered a collaborative agreement with other nature-friendly farmers in the Lake District to tan and finish hides, aiming to expand this work.

In addition, Sam and Claire showed their redeveloped barn, now a training and education facility. They explained how they and others benefit from the Pasture and Profit in Protected Landscapes peer-to-peer farming mentoring scheme, run by Pasture for Life and funded by FIPL. They also provided a lunch made with the farm’s produce for the visitors to enjoy.

Sam said: “We think the FIPL scheme is extremely valuable. It allows for the creation of projects that no other scheme would fund and lets farmers be very creative.”

Some farmers are ready for this transition and have been doing this for a long time, but some are not. We need to be supporting those who aren’t ready, because it is a big change in our industry.

James Robinson

The NFFN is calling on the Government to invest in high-quality, effective land management schemes which recognise that farm viability and food security can only be achieved by placing nature and biodiversity at the heart of farming practices.

We are calling on Defra to reveal a coherent and consistent pathway through the agricultural transition as soon as possible. Ministers need to outline plans that are sufficiently scaled and ambitious to meet the needs of farmers, the climate and nature.

The NFFN is concerned about the limited number of farmers who can access the most ambitious higher-level schemes, which are most effective for nature and climate mitigation. We previously ran a successful campaign, led by James, that secured a commitment from Defra to double the number of higher-tier agreements struck each year.

Overall, both Sam and James described the visit to Cumbria as highly valuable and expressed hope that it would ensure key messages are conveyed back to Westminster and the heart of decision-making.

“Generally it was a very positive visit,” Sam said. “Daniel and Janet were genuinely interested in what we were saying and asked us good questions.”

“It was a productive meeting. Both Daniel and Janet were receptive to the issues and the constructive criticism, ideas and solutions we were able to offer,” James said.

“Defra has set many admirable ambitions, but we urgently need a larger agriculture budget and a delivery system to match.”