It coincided with a statement in parliament by the Energy Security Secretary which reiterated that whilst food and energy security are both important, the best agricultural land should be prioritised for food production over energy uses.

Over in Wales a statement by its Cabinet Secretary for Climate Change and Rural Affairs also proved significant for farmers. The introduction of the Sustainable Farming Scheme has been delayed until 2026, but the 10% tree planting target appears likely to remain.

FOOD & FARMING

Farm to Fork Summit
The Farm to Fork Summit hosted by Prime Minister Rishi Sunak at Number 10 Downing Street provided the platform for a series of announcements relating to food and farming. The annual Food Security Index revealed a broadly stable picture of UK food security in the last year, with short-term risks improving but substantial longer-term risks associated with climate and environmental change remaining. Evidence from the Energy & Climate Intelligence Unit published to coincide with the Summit suggests that food security will have declined by 8% this year as a result of the wet winter.

Acknowledging that exposure to high levels of fruit and vegetable imports (at 17% and 55% self-sufficiency respectively) is a particular long-term risk, the government revealed a package of incentives for domestic horticulture at the Summit. The blueprint to grow the UK fruit and vegetable sector includes measures to allow horticulture to access sustainable energy and water. This includes planning reform to make it easier to build glasshouses, a forthcoming consultation on a new permitted development right for single on-farm wind turbines, and internal drainage board measures to improve access to water.

The government also published its response to the Supply Chain Review for fresh produce at the Summit. This committed it to use the powers in the Agriculture Act 2020 to bring forward legislation to regulate contracts, protecting farmers and growers from malpractice by purchasers and retailers. The Seasonal Worker visa route has also been extended for another five years, to ensure that British horticultural businesses have access to the skilled labour they need. And what are we going to do with all this extra fresh produce that will be produced in the fields of Britain? Jeremy Clarkson might have the answer: data from online retailer Ocado reveals that demand for British produce has surged following the release of series three of Clarkson’s Farm.

Grants for livestock health and welfare
New financial support has been announced for livestock farmers in England. From next month, poultry farmers with more than 1,000 birds can claim grants for renewing housing and building verandas to improve animal welfare outcomes. Funding for roof-mounted solar will also be available, and the grants can be combined. Additional support is being made available as part of the existing Annual Health and Welfare Review to target Bovine Viral Diarrhoea (BVD) in beef cattle herds and Porcine Reproductive and Respiratory Syndrome 

(PRRS) in pigs. Payment rates are being increased to allow vets to test for these endemic diseases and provide advice on how to eliminate or control the conditions. Sheep farmers will be able to select from a range of health improvement packages to treat whatever condition is most prevalent. Options for dairy cattle are likely to follow later in the year.

Food and the environment Spotlight - Visit us at Cereals
Savills will be launching its latest research report looking at the future of food production and the role of agri-tech and regenerative agriculture at the Cereals Show next month. The food and the environment Spotlight explores how farmers and land managers can respond to the challenges of producing food for a growing population whilst reducing their climate impact and facilitating environmental recovery.

To put these decisions in a commercial context the Savills Virtual Farm is used with the latest Sustainable Farming Incentive options to explore the financial impact and viability of a transition to regenerative agriculture. Please join us on stand 235 to meet our team, enjoy refreshments and learn more.

POLICY

Wales: statement on Future Farm Support
Concessions have been made to reset the relationship between the Welsh government and farmers in Wales, including delaying the implementation of the Sustainable Farming Scheme (SFS) until 2026. Speaking in a Sennedd hearing on 14 May, Huw Irranca-Davies MS, the recently appointed Cabinet Secretary for Climate Change and Rural Affairs, referred to the unpublished headline findings of the recent consultation on the SFS and said these pointed to a need for greater consultation on key elements of SFS and matters such as Bovine TB.

Mr Irranca-Davies cautiously committed to the most controversial elements of SFS, including the 17 universal actions and 10% tree planting target. He announced a new ministerial roundtable to review these elements, to ensure that the full range of scientific understanding was considered in meeting the targets, noting that grassland and hedgerow carbon sequestration may also be relevant factors. There was broad consensus that the intention of the scheme was accepted by all stakeholders, but a greater need to engage farmers on why the universal actions were needed. Mr Irranca-Davies also suggested there should be a role for private finance in meeting environmental targets in Wales and SFS should take this into account. A SFS preparatory phase will be introduced in 2025 to allow farmers to prepare for SFS in 2026, including completing habitat baselining. Publication of the full consultation response on SFS is expected in June.

Bovine TB and nitrate vulnerable zones have been other flashpoints for farmer protests in Wales. Mr Irranca-Davies said work was ongoing on the Welsh government’s commitment to eradicate bTB by 2041 with announcements expected imminently on elements such as on-farm slaughter. In addition, a four-year review of agricultural pollution regulations has started.

Climate change needs new political impetus
A new political impetus is needed to create a change in direction on climate. The Tony Blair Institute for Global Change (TBI) commissioned YouGov to survey over 15,000 residents of the UK and seven EU member states: Denmark, France, Germany, Italy, the Netherlands, Poland and Portugal. It found that 69% of respondents are concerned about climate change and 61% support net-zero targets. Yet just 31% of Europeans and 19% of the UK public believe their respective governments will reach net-zero carbon emissions by 2050. Furthermore, 45% believe their governments should not act on climate change if China is seen not to act too – concerning, as a majority (79% across Europe, 84% in the UK) think China will not reach its stated climate goals.

The report argues good policy decisions can vanquish the scepticism. Support for net-zero is boosted by 11% among the most sceptical when they are presented with information on how technology is enabling the transition. A negative message, which is more often used, is much less effective. The costs of net-zero also need to be fair. The TBI believes providing support for the poorest in society and targeting taxes at the worst emitters is the best approach. Support for climate leadership and providing finance to developing countries is broadly supported, particularly in Denmark (68%) and Italy (63%).

Defra appoints new board members
Defra has appointed three new non-executive board members for three-year terms:

• Julian Glover; policy adviser and author as well as a trustee of the National Lottery Heritage Fund and chair of its Midlands and East region. He led the independent Landscapes Review into ways to make national landscapes better for nature and people.
• Nick Folland; former general counsel and company secretary of FTSE 100 businesses since 2001. He originally qualified as a solicitor in 1993 and was previously Chief Executive of the Crown Prosecution Service and Chief of Staff to the CEO of the Co-Op Group.
• Baroness Kate Rock; a tenant farmer and Peer in the House of Lords. In February 2022, Baroness Rock was appointed as the Chair of The Tenancy Working Group which made recommendations to make government schemes accessible to tenant farmers and to help ensure a robust and thriving agricultural tenanted sector.

New Scottish Cabinet
First Minister John Swinney has announced a new Scottish Cabinet, though it is largely unchanged. Kate Forbes, the youngest-ever Deputy First Minister, will take on the Economy portfolio and responsibility for Gaelic. She returns after little more than a year on the backbenches. Màiri McAllan remains in Cabinet with responsibility for Net Zero and Energy. Mairi Gougeon remains Cabinet Secretary for Rural Affairs, Land Reform and Islands, having held the position since 2021.

ENVIRONMENT & NATURAL CAPITAL

The long-term effectiveness of BNG questioned
Defra has launched a novel and complex biodiversity scheme without having all the elements in place to ensure its long-term success. That’s the conclusion of a report on Implementing statutory biodiversity net gain from the National Audit Office (NAO). The report says Defra needs to manage a range of risks including whether compliance and enforcement by local authorities will be effective and also needs to develop a method of judging whether the policy is working. The NAO recommends the government establishes a mechanism for spending income from the sales of statutory biodiversity credits. It also said local authorities should be given sufficient funding certainty to allow for longer-term planning regarding their role in locally agreeing and enforcing the scheme.

Issues with laws protecting water
The Office for Environmental Protection (OEP) has found deeply concerning failures to properly implement regulations designed to protect rivers, lakes and coastal waters in England. The OEP has released a report; A review of implementation of the Water Framework Directive Regulations and River Basin Management Planning in England. In it, it finds that the government and the Environment Agency are currently not on track to meet the Environmental Objectives, such as to have 77% of England’s waters in Good Ecological Status or Good Ecological Potential by 2027. The OEP’s worst-case assessment would see just 21% of surface waters in a Good Ecological state by 2027 – this only represents a 5% improvement on the current situation.

The fault for such poor performance is assigned to multiple factors, including insufficient investment; improvement plans being too generic and not specific to locations; lack of certainty, pace and clear deadlines to implement measures; and inadequate governance. The OEP makes 15 recommendations to Defra and the Environment Agency, including strengthening the legislative framework and its governance and application in the longer term.

Funding for nutrient management
A £15 million nutrient management competition is being held to inspire solutions for the management of nutrients. 

There is also the opportunity to apply for a grant through two competition strands. The Feasibility Studies strand rewards projects up to 24 months with total costs between £200,000 and £500,000. The Industrial Research strand is for projects between 24 and 36 months with total costs between £500,000 and £1 million.  Projects are expected to develop technologies that can be readily adopted by farmers and growers in England to improve their nutrient management. The competition opens to applicants on 29 May and closes on 24 July. A second competition is expected later this year.

PROPERTY & DEVELOPMENT

Solar projects must fit in with food security
The Energy Security Secretary has told Parliament that, the best agricultural land must be protected for food security due to growing geopolitical tension. The written ministerial statement from Claire Coutinho said applicants for solar developments should seek to minimise their impacts on the best and most versatile agricultural land (defined as land in grades 1, 2 and 3a of the Agricultural Land Classification) and preferably use land in areas of poorer quality. The statement also said that where there is a clustering of solar developments in rural areas, it is important for planning authorities to consider whether there are any cumulative impacts. The government has also heard concerns about the perceived inaccuracy and unfairness of soil surveys undertaken as part of the planning process for solar development. This is to be addressed through independent certification by an appropriate certifying body to ensure Agricultural Land Classification Soil Surveys are of a high standard. Finally, Ms Coutinho said increasing the deployment of rooftop solar remains a priority for the government and highlighted recent improvements to permitted development rights for rooftop installations.

BUSINESS & economy

Adjustments to agri-environment agreements
Between October 2023 and March 2024, rainfall was nearly 60% above the 10-year average, and it was the second wettest six-month period on record. As a result temporary adjustments and easements have been made within the Sustainable Farming Incentive (SFI), the SFI Pilot, Countryside Stewardship, and Environmental Stewardship to assist affected farmers. These adjustments provide more time to establish or defer certain activities if bad weather has hindered farming operations or the ability to meet mandatory requirements.

The adjustments cover the period from 1 October 2023 to 31 July 2024 and will be applied automatically to all live agreements, meaning farmers do not need to submit requests for these changes. However, they must contact the Rural Payments Agency if the weather has made it impossible to attempt certain actions and farmers believe they cannot meet the aims of scheme options within the extended period allowed by temporary adjustment provisions.

OTHER RURAL NEWS

And finally…
The value of volunteering
Volunteers have dedicated more than 51,000 hours to maintaining the Cotswolds in one year alone. That’s almost six years’ worth of time. More than 350 voluntary wardens support the Cotswolds National Landscapes team, which has been running since the 1960s. In the 2023-24 year, the wardens contributed 51,351 hours of work, led 319 guided walks for 3,634 people, patrolled 7,867 miles of path and planted 1,433 trees. The wardens check routes, replace stiles, repair footbridges, clear scrub, install gates, fix steps and install handrails, improve signage and waymarking, and pick up litter. They also plant trees, lay hedges, create habitats for nature, clear waterways, and repair dry-stone walls across the 787 square miles of the Cotswolds.

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