CLA unveils new vision of post-Brexit farm support - the Land Management Contract

Land Management Contract would support farmers who manage land in a way that delivers public benefits
Land Management Contract would support farmers who manage land in a way that delivers public benefits

The CLA has unveiled a new vision of farm support after the UK leaves the EU, one which redeploys public money in a way that rewards farmers for managing land for the benefit of society.

The CLA, a rural organisation which represents over 30,000 landowners, farmers and rural businesses, revealed the new policy framework today (21 July).

It wants to end the Basic Payment Scheme (BPS), which has in the past been criticised due to the fact it pays farmers and landowners based on the amount of land they farm.

Instead of the BPS, there would be a switch to a new Land Management Contract that supports farmers who choose to manage land in a way that delivers public benefits, such as improvements in soil quality.

The CLA is hoping the policy should also make it possible for a new wave of vital private and public investment to help the farming sector harness opportunity in a global market place.

Transparent

The CLA has set out how the Land Management Contract could give farmers a choice to deliver outcomes in return for public money, if they agree conditions that are more transparent, easier to administer and demonstrate value for money for the taxpayer.

The CLA shows how the contract would form one important part of an overarching ‘Food, Farming and Environmental Policy’ that would also see budget allocated to measures that will support an increase in farming productivity and rural economic prosperity.

Defra Secretary Michael Gove will also mention the topic of future subsidies today.

He will say that future farm subsidies must be assessed on environmental and public benefits the land brings rather than simply how much land is owned.

Profitable and sustainable

CLA President Ross Murray said farmers and landowners want to run a 'profitable and sustainable' businesses.

“We want to produce quality food that receives a fair price and we accept the same risk and reward as any other business in our economy. That is why ending reliance on subsidy should be a long-term ambition of post-Brexit agriculture policy across the UK.

“Our vision is for fundamental reform, but not for ending payments to farmers. Payments are necessary because there is vital work to be done across our countryside to manage soils and preserve the productive capacity of the land, to plant the trees we need, to clean and store water, to support the farming practices that make up our iconic landscapes or to make it possible for people to enjoy our beautiful natural spaces. These responsibilities bring costs and burdens that other businesses do not have to bear.”

'Divisive view'

Mr Murray said it is right to continue to invest public money in remunerating farmers to deliver the things people want from the countryside.

He continued: “The Land Management Contract is a new way to deliver what is needed, using public money cost-effectively. It turns a system based on entitlement to one of business contracts for defined services.

“These are contracts under which any farmer or forester, from the smallest hill farmer to the large estate owner, can choose to undertake in return for a financial reward based on what they contribute, not the amount of land they own.

He said reform of this kind can end once and for all the divisive view that farmers are receiving subsidies for nothing.

“If delivered alongside a new industrial strategy for our food and farming sector, this contract can truly harness the opportunities of leaving the Common Agricultural Policy and unlock a new lease of life for farming, our rural economy and communities across the countryside.”