Farming for the Future Big changes lie ahead for the Forest of Bowland’s farmers as the Government prepares to redirect agricultural support payments towards support for restoring nature and the environment.
B
ritain finally left the European Union last year and with it the EU’s controversial Common Agricultural Policy, or CAP.
and are freely available to all. Included (amongst others) are clean air and water, carbon sequestration, biodiversity, flood mitigation, countryside access, cultural heritage and nature recovery.
The CAP distributed billions of pounds of publicly-funded support payments to British farmers and while these payments Farmers in (known as the Basic Payment the Forest of Scheme) will continue for a few more years, the UK Bowland AONB Government has stated its are playing a intention to taper them down to zero over the leading role in next seven years. These shaping the payments will be replaced by an Environmental framework for the Land Management (ELM) Government’s new system, which will reward Environmental farmers for taking a more environmentally sensitive Land Management approach.
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(ELM)
ELM is based on the concept of ‘public money for public goods’. The definition of public goods is that these benefits have no economic market,
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Coordinated by the National Association of AONBs, the ‘Farming for the Nation’ programme involves 12 AONBs across the country testing new ways of how farmers could be rewarded for managing the land in more environmentally friendly ways.
Bowland has joined forces with Nidderdale and North Pennines AONBs to test out how ELM can support high nature value farming, whilst also ensuring scheme. it remains resilient and profitable. This includes testing the usefulness of Land Management Plans as a way to deliver and reward positive management.
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