Hill Farming: Finance
The question
To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, what assessment he has made of the effectiveness of current payment schemes for upland farmers.
Answered by Daniel Zeichner
Upland farmers have a key role to play in the future for delivering sustainable food production and our environmental targets.
The Government has committed to support farmers through a farming budget of £5 billion over two years, including £2.4 billion in 2025/26. This will include the largest ever budget directed at sustainable food production and nature’s recovery in our country’s history: £1.8 billion for environmental land management schemes in 2025/26.
Environmental Land Management schemes will remain at the centre of our offer for farmers, with the Sustainable Farming Incentive, Countryside Stewardship Higher Tier and Landscape Recovery all continuing. These offer funding streams for farmers to make their businesses more sustainable and resilient, including those who have been often ignored such as upland farmers.
We recognise the unique challenges that upland farmers face. We will work with the sector to continue to roll out, improve and evolve these schemes and ensure they work for everyone, including upland farms.
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