DEFRA LUMP SUM EXIT SCHEME & DELINKED PAYMENTS CONSULTATION
This week, Defra launched a consultation about offering farmers who want to exit the industry a one-off lump sum payment and to ‘delink’ Direct Payments from land for all farmers from 2024. The consultation includes different options for a reference period to calculate the lump sum and delinked payments, the conditions that will be placed on the lump sum offer and a proposed cap. See: Lump Sum and Delinked Payments Consultation for details.
The NFU is organising a national on-line meeting on Wednesday 26th May at 11am to discuss the proposals - see NFU responds to exit scheme consultation. The NFU North West Region is organising 2 consultation meetings on: Tuesday 1st June at 12.30pm and Thursday 3rd June at 7.30pm. Call 01695 554900 or email north.west@nfu.org.uk to book a place. You can also respond directly to the consultation using Defra’s on-line survey.
SUSTAINABLE FARMING INCENTIVE PILOT
Defra has published a blog with an update on its Sustainable Farming Incentive Pilot. They report that over 2000 farmers expressed an interest in the first phase of the pilot. Farmers will be notified by the end of this month as to whether they will be invited to develop a full application. Work building applications will begin in June 2021, leading to the first pilot agreements going live from October 2021.
TRADE DEAL WITH AUSTRALIA
At the time of writing we are waiting to see whether the trade deal being agreed with Australia will include tariff free access for farm products. There are concerns over the impact on market prices of beef and lamb imported from Australia and how this will impact on farmers in the UK. There is pressure to agree the trade deal by early June.