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The Government’s landmark Agriculture Bill was introduced to Parliament in January this year and passed into law on November 11. Beginning next year, farmers will have a seven year transition period to adapt to a new agricultural system. Further details will be announced in late November.
The Agriculture Bill sets out how farmers and land managers in England will be rewarded in the future with public money for “public goods” – such as better air and water quality, thriving wildlife, soil health, or measures to reduce flooding and tackle the effects of climate change, under the Environmental Land Management scheme. These incentives will provide a powerful vehicle for achieving the goals of the government’s 25 Year Environment Plan and its commitment to reach net zero emissions by 2050.
This new system will replace the Basic Payment Scheme subsidy system, which largely pays farmers for the total amount of land farmed and has skewed payments towards the largest landowners, rather than rewarding farmers for any specific public benefits.
Environment Secretary George Eustice said, "The government will now be able to further champion food production by improving the transparency and fairness in the supply chain from farm to fork, as well as keeping our world-famous food producers competitive and innovative by investing in the latest technology and research."
The government will also report on UK food security to Parliament every three years. The first report will be published at the end of next year, and will include analysis of the impacts on food supply of the coronavirus pandemic, as well as a wide range of themes including global availability of food, food safety and consumer confidence.
November 11, 2020/ United Kingdom Government/ United Kingdom.
https://www.gov.uk/
