Dr Ruth Little from the University of Sheffield’s Department of Geography warned a Parliamentary committee yesterday (12 November) that the planned Environmental Land Management (ELM) scheme needs to engage farmers and landowners to best maintain and improve biodiversity in the UK.
The new ELM, which replaces European payments to farmers and landowners from 2024, represents a dramatic shift away from the previous support regime, with huge potential to support the agriculture industry to restore nature to health.
Previous research from the University of Sheffield and University of Reading found that farmers want to see less red tape and better access to the internet so that they can engage with the Government’s sustainable farming plans. With some farmers having to travel to the nearest McDonald’s to access wifi, the experts have already called for a simplified bureaucracy and the creation of non-digital ways for farmers to get involved.
Dr Little recommended that the ELM should be designed in a way that involves farmers and landowners of all levels, and to have the greatest chance at enhancing environmental benefits in the UK, the scheme needs to actively listen to, and engage farmers in the hardest to reach communities.
The evidence presented to the committee is based on findings from the Agri-Environmental Governance Post-Brexit project, a collaboration between the University of Sheffield and the University of Reading. The team are working with farmers, stakeholders and Defra to develop a model for co-designing the new post-Brexit ELM system.
This is one of the biggest changes in agricultural policy for over a generation and could have widespread implications for the 72% of UK land that is currently used for agricultural management. A change towards providing public goods for public benefit will have implications for nature, landscapes and livelihoods - geographers are very well placed to assess the challenges that this new policy will bring and the potential solutions that could contribute to a more environmentally secure future.
Dr Ruth Little
Lecturer in Human Geography