THE NEW GOVERNMENT’S AGRICULTURAL POLICY – A “RAPID REVIEW”?
Today’s Press Reports
The press (Observer, Financial Times, the Times and others) and the BBC (website and the Today programme at 6.39 and 7.50) are carrying the story that the new DEFRA ministerial team, silent so far, are undertaking a “rapid review” of the policies they have inherited.
The energy in the reporting seems to come from environmental organisations, concerned to link any possible change in DEFRA environmental re-orientation of payments to the Financial Statement’s plans for easing environmental regulation elsewhere, notably the investment zones proposals but in time also the new Retained EU Law (Revocation and Reform) Bill.
It may be worth noting that, when challenged on this concern in a BBC interview on Sunday 25th September, Kwasi Kwarteng responded in general terms that the issues over environmental regulation were not about standards but about processes and time.
The present reports do not sustain any secure interpretation beyond new ministers taking stock. Today’s Financial Times reports that following “concern that the slow development of the scheme would put financial viability of some farms at risk” there is now a review of:
- “plans to taper EU-style basic payments through to 2027 ... with a view to offering further financial help to farmers”
- “plans to introduce payments for environmental work … which remain at the pilot stage”.
With no final decision said to be made, almost anything can be read into those remarks from a total pause and reversal of the present policies to their acceleration with added policies.
What Might We Know?
With the new Government’s focus on growth, such statements as have been made are in terms of productivity.
Friday’s Financial Statement announced that there is to be a statement on agricultural productivity later in the autumn.
The Growth Plan issued alongside the Statement confirmed that, saying:
“agricultural productivity growth has been weak for many years and this needs to change to support the rural economy. The government will rapidly review frameworks for regulation, innovation, and investment that impact farmers and land managers in England. This will ensure government and industry are working together to strengthen UK food security, and maximise the long-term productivity, resilience, competitiveness, and environmental stewardship of the British countryside. The government will set out plans later this autumn.”
Liz Truss set out some themes for agriculture in her article in Farmers Guardian of 26th August, emphasising the need for innovation and seeking competitive advantage, with:
- the need to address: longer term skills shortages; barriers to the widespread adoption of labour-saving technologies
- developing a competitive regulatory regime (flexibility in application, use of data,
- expanding earned recognition) and easing investment in new technology
- innovation for competitive advantage
- farmers’ dual role as food producers and environmental stewards, looking to see that ELM schemes “are fit for purpose and that farmers are able to access these schemes, while producing food sustainably and are delivering robust environmental outputs.”
There are also press reports of the Prime Minister proposing some relaxation of the restrictions on labour migration for work rules, including greater access by farmers to seasonal labour from abroad (though there is no indication of a similar step for permanent labour). Those reports also point to opposition to that in Cabinet which, together with the exchanges on Parliament on fracking, is a sign of the coming political battles the new growth-focussed Government will have with its own party.