Rob Halliday said there had been too many changes of environment secretary in recent years
Rob Halliday said there had been too many changes of environment secretary in recent years
A new plan for the future of farming could be undermined by the current lack of political stability, a Cornish farmer has warned.
The government has unveiled its new roadmap for the industry until 2050, external, including an emphasis on technology and robotics and a new subsidy scheme.
Environment Secretary Emma Reynolds said it would provide “clarity” for farmers and give them confidence to invest and innovate in future.
However, those in the industry feared the impending change of prime minister could lead to some parts of the plan not being followed through or a change in policy.
Rob Halliday, a livestock farmer in Quethiock, said the roadmap had some good ambitions but he feared it could fail to be implemented properly.
“We’ve had so many changes – 10 environment secretaries in 10 years,” he said.
“Every time we have a new secretary, things tend to be shelved and there’s new ideas.
“We find ourselves quite often presented with MPs that don’t come from a rural constituency and it’s yet another education process to bring them up to speed.
“There’s more time spent educating than trying to make progress and actually achieving. We need a period of stability.”
‘Going to struggle’
Part of the roadmap included the updated Sustainable Farming Incentive Scheme, which was set-up post-Brexit to support farmers to produce food and manage land in an environmentally-friendly way.
The government has committed £240m to it with first time applicants and smaller farms initially eligible to apply to ensure more farmers can receive subsidies.
Halliday welcomed that but said he feared the amount of money would be inadequate to meet the government’s ambitions.
“To get the maximum people in, we still have to cover the cost of the scheme and, ultimately, that comes down to budget,” he said.
“Inflation has actually made the overall budget a lot smaller and I think they’re going to struggle to have some of the breadth of delivery that they’d like to achieve.”
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Reynolds said the roadmap marked a shift away from “only looking to the next harvest and towards a plan that gives farmers the long-term clarity they need to innovate, invest and grow with confidence for generations to come”.
She added: “Farmers can reduce reliance on costly inputs like fertiliser through new technology and smarter nutrient management, and adapt to the growing impacts of extreme weather and climate change through nature-based solutions such as improved soil health and water management.”
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Related internet links
Department for Environment, Food, and Rural Affairs
