By saying we can’t afford farming subsidies to continue forever (All farming subsidies could stop, minister suggests), Daniel Zeichner risks giving the impression that farmers receive public money for nothing. In fact, the opposite is true. The recently suspended SFI scheme helped farmers deliver public goods including food security, nature recovery and climate change mitigation. There is a danger that the recent suspension of support payments will force farmers back to a production-first model, not one focussed on integrating farming with biodiversity recovery. Farmers are not expecting free handouts, they are able and willing to play a central role in restoring nature for fair reward and it’s critical that Government keeps them on board for the benefit of all.
Yours faithfully
Dr Alastair Leake Game & Wildlife Conservation Trust director of policy and The Allerton Project
Loddington House, Main Street, Leicester LE7 9XE