Eustice: Queen and wealthy landowners could lose £1m in subsidies after Brexit

Farm minister George Eustice said the distribution of payments was 'unfair'
Farm minister George Eustice said the distribution of payments was 'unfair'

Landowners including the Queen could lose up to £1 million a year under plans to slash farming subsidies for wealthier farmers after Britain leaves the European Union.

Farm minister George Eustice said the distribution of payments was 'unfair'.

Lands operating on the Queen's Sandringham Estate in Norfolk receives £700,000 a year in government funding, while farms near Windsor Castle receive £300,000.

Mr Eustice told Politico: "I don’t think many people could defend the notion of an area-based subsidy system staying in place for perpetuity.

"It’s a little bit upside down because it means the largest payments go to the largest landowners who arguably need it the least," he said.

Landowners featured in the Sunday Times Rich List last year received more than £10 million between them.

Smaller farms

Under the current CAP, 80% of funds go to 20% of farms, as funding is determined by the amount of acreage a farm has.

Mr Eustice and the Conservatives are trying to prioritise smaller farms as Britain begins negotiations to leave the EU.

But Defra secretary Andrea Leadsom said it was important to commit to the same funding levels as CAP.

She said: "If elected on June 8, Theresa May's Conservatives will commit to the same spending on farming and food production over the next Parliament as is now provided by the EU’s Common Agriculture Policy.

"As we translate the body of European law into our domestic regulations, it means that the rules around the environment, food and farming will be set in the UK."

The commitment to match the same levels of spending will continue until the end of the next parliament, around 2022.

Then a new system will be introduced to 'set up new frameworks for supporting food production and stewardship of the countryside.'