Gove delivers speech at NFU Conference

The full transcript of the Environment Secretary, Michael Gove's, speech delivered to the NFU Conference yesterday is available on GOV.UK.

In the speech, he stated that: "We have to do better in the delivery of countryside and environmental stewardship payments. They are still in a mess, the consequence partly of historic IT procurement decisions and the split responsibility for scheme administration between Natural England and the RPA, which led to inefficiency and confusion."

He also committed to:

• paying 95% of Countryside Stewardship (CS) 2018 claims by 31st March 2019 (including bridging payments in early April to those who are unpaid by 31st March)
• paying 95% of CS final payments by 31st July 2019, with a move to making full CS payments (advance and final in a single payment) straightaway

He also expressed an expectation that 95% of Environmental Stewardship (ES) 2017 final payments should be completed by 31st July 2019.