The new Agriculture Bill, tabled in parliament just over a week ago, commanded a large number of column inches in the national and specialist media, mainly focused on the government’s continuing drive towards a so-called “Green Brexit”.

Most of this coverage was based on the press release and briefing note issued by Defra ahead of the publication of the full 62-page bill – and was pretty useful in terms of setting the scene.

In summary, we learned:

Direct payments will be paid in full in 2019 and 2020, and will then be phased out during a seven-year transition period

Cuts to direct payments will be “progressive”, with smaller farmers giving up less than larger beneficiaries

Money syphoned off in this way (worth £150m in the first year of transition) will be used to pilot a new Environmental Land Management (ELM) system

Some of this money may also be spent on helping farmers improve their productivity

Any direct payments post-2020 will be “delinked” from a requirement to farm, enabling farmers to use the money to invest, diversify or retire

Attempts will be made to simplify the system of applying for support, but farmers will still have to meet “a strong regulatory baseline”

The NFU and other lobby groups have been quick to point out that the Agriculture Bill itself is just “enabling” legislation.

It provides the government with the powers it needs to allocate funds to agriculture and to intervene in the way it sees fit. But it does not specifically deliver many of the things Defra has been trailing in terms of cutting payments and replacing them with new “green schemes”.

Despite this, a policy statement issued by Defra on Friday 14 September does add some flesh to the bones, and sets out clearly how the bill will enable it to achieve its ambitions.

THE importANCE OF FOOD PRODUCTION

The Agriculture Bill was initially criticised for the lack of attention given to commercial food production, but the Defra policy statement seeks to redress this.

“Our priority is a productive, competitive farming sector,” it says. “British farmers play a crucial role in our food chain, and our future policy will support farmers to provide more home-grown, healthy produce made to high environmental and animal welfare standards.”

The statement insists that food security is built on strong domestic production, but also requires access to safe, high-quality imports from a diverse range of countries. “This will not change after we leave the EU.”

Using the powers in the Agriculture Bill, the government pledges to:

support innovation to improve productivity

improve investment in farming equipment, technology and infrastructure

facilitate collaboration and pioneer the use of more innovative and efficient farming techniques

“A changed regulatory culture, a skilled workforce and investment in R&D can all help the sector to thrive and maximise its trading opportunities,” it says.

ENVIRonMENTAL LAND MANAGEMENT

The Defra policy statement also sheds more light on how the new ELM system will operate.

“In sharp contrast to the inflexible nature of the current system, these contracts will be based on a land management plan developed by the farmer or land manager,” it says. “Their plan will set out how they intend to deliver the environmental benefits identified, based on guidance and specialist advice.”

The new system will retain a strong focus on results, and will encourage farmers and land managers to review and revise approaches throughout the year to deliver the best results.

A simplified application process will operate throughout the year. Payments could comprise multi-annual payments, capital grants and/or payments for collaboration and local engagement.

The new ELM system will be piloted before it is rolled out nationally. “This will include new and innovative delivery mechanisms, like payment by results and reverse auctions.”

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