Another promise broken: ‘Brexit bonus’ for farmers scrapped

By Al Mayadeen English
Source: Agencies
25 Sep 2022 12:52

Wildlife organizations accuse Defra of an "all-out attack" on the environment.

The loss of EU subsidies is not being sufficiently compensated for by Westminster. (Adrian Dennis/AFP/Getty Images)

The government is planning to withdraw the "Brexit bonus", which would have compensated farmers and landowners to improve nature, in what conservation organizations are calling an "all-out attack" on the environment, according to the Observer.

Instead, the Department for Environment, Food, and Rural Affairs (Defra) is proposing giving landowners a yearly set price for each acre of land they own, akin to the much-maligned EU basic payments program of the common agricultural policy.

The Environment Land Management Scheme (Elms), created by former environment secretary Michael Gove, was designed to encourage farmers to make room for rare species, such as wading birds and dormice while also absorbing carbon to assist England to meet its net-zero targets. Pilot projects have restored rare ecosystems and reintroduced species such as nightingales, beavers, and white storks.

Elms participants have told the Observer that meetings with the government about their land have been deleted from their calendars as the plan is put on hold.

Defra sources confirmed that Elms measures are under review and area-based payment is on the table.

A condemned withdrawal

Labour MP for Cambridge and shadow farming minister Daniel Zeichner called it a "complete betrayal of something they said would be one of the fundamental benefits of Brexit." Because of the upcoming Elms restrictions, several farmers have changed how they manage their property.

He added, “Any reversal of the scheme would be highly disruptive to the sector; we agreed with the broad direction of it, although we did think the government was moving too quickly."

“This is a complete step back from their promises, and to tear it up without any consultation would be nothing short of mindless vandalism.”

Wildlife groups are set to revolt over the move. Craig Bennett, chief executive of the Wildlife Trusts, which has 860,000 members, said, “They have no democratic mandate to do this, it was in the election manifesto. What you’ve seen in the space of the last week is Liz Truss’s government basically trashing all the environmental commitments that were in the 2019 manifesto."

“If now, this government is going back to area-based payments, then it will have dumped the one silver lining around Brexit that perhaps might have been good for the environment. It seems there is an all-out attack on the environment under Liz Truss’s government.”

Furthermore, the National Farmers' Union has lobbied against plans to pay farmers for environmental projects rather than food production.

Minette Batters, the NFU president, welcomed the departure from Elms. “My absolute priority is ensuring that farmers can continue to produce the nation’s food – so I do support maintaining direct payments in order to build a scheme that really will deliver for food production and the environment,” she said.

A Defra representative did not deny the change would occur, saying, “To boost the rural economy, food production, and our food security, we will continue to support farmers and land managers by reviewing farm regulation, boosting investment and innovation in the sector.”