The views of farmers in England who have chosen not to take part in the government’s Landscape Recovery Pilot Scheme are being sought by researchers.
The scheme forms part of Defra’s Environmental Land Management scheme (ELMS), alongside the Sustainable Farming Incentive (SFI) and Local Nature Recovery.
The first round of projects focused on recovering and restoring England’s threatened native species, as well as restoring streams and rivers.
In total, 22 successful bids for pilot projects were announced in September, but researchers want to hear from those farmers who decided not to take part.
The Harper Adams research team said they wanted to help policy makers understand why many English farmers made this choice.
They are also researching how post-Brexit policies such as the Landscape Recovery Pilot scheme are affecting farmers across the country.
Senior lecturer Nigel Hill – one of those working on the research – explained: “It’s key that we hear from English farmers on their views on the pilot – and we are particularly keen to hear from those who chose not to take part in the scheme.
“We are looking into the issue for the AHDB and gaining an insight into how farmers in England are adapting their farming businesses to changes in agricultural and environmental policies like these will be invaluable.
“When policy changes happen, it is important to make sure their impact on businesses is fully understood - and we will, therefore, be sharing our results with Defra once our research is completed."
Completing the survey should take around 15-20 minutes and can be done online.
The survey is both voluntary and anonymous - no individuals or farm holdings will be identified in the final report.
